ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Tuesday constituted a committee to probe into the matter of alleged irregularities in process of roads Tenders in Tira, Khyber Agency under ADP 2017-18 by the Works and Services Department, FATA Secretariat.
The committee met here at Parliament House, under the Chairmanship of Muhammad Jamal ud Din, MNA.
The sub-committee would be comprised of Convener Nasir Khan, Members Qaiser Jamal and Bilal Rehman.
The Sub-Committee shall submit its report to the main Committee within one month.
The Committee discussed the Point of Order raised by Ms. Naeema Kishwer Khan, MNA on 25th January, 2018 regarding anti-Pakistan syllabus being taught to Afghan Refugees Children in the schools established under the United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In this regard, the Chief Commissioner, Afghan Refugees informed the Committee that teams were formed to visit the schools and to check the syllabus being taught in the schools of Government of Pakistan and the schools under the UNHCR to the Afghan Refugees Children.
As per information provided by the visiting teams, the books being taught in Refugee Camp schools are the same that are being taught in Government of Pakistan schools and no anti-Pakistan revised curriculum/syllabus is being taught in Afghan schools run in the Afghan Community.
He further informed that Country Representative, UNHCR has also clarified that no such textbooks have been distributed or are in the pipeline to be distributed and used in Afghan Refugees schools in Pakistan.
The Country Representative, UNHCR has further assured that no new syllabus would be introduced without getting prior approval from the Government of Pakistan.
The Committee also expressed its great concern on banning the release of funds under the Annual Development Program for the development projects/schemes in FATA by the Finance Division.
The Committee was informed that only Rs 12 billion out of Rs 24 billion had been released to the FATA Secretariat so far.
The Committee recommended that the Finance Division should release the remaining funds and gave permission of re-appropriation to the FATA Secretariat in order to spend the allocated budget of the ADP and complete the ongoing development schemes in FATA in time.
The Committee also discussed the issue of alleged irregularities in process of Tenders for construction of roads in Tira, Khyber Agency as observed by the MNA of the concerned Agency. Nasir Khan, MNA of Khyber Agency pointed out during the meeting that the Tender of roads in Khyber Agency were opened in Tira instead of Khyber Agency Headquarter.
He further pointed out that the roads for which tenders had been carried out by the quarters concerned had already been constructed and the tenders awarded to the special group in violation of Pakistan Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules.
The meeting was also attended by Muhammad Nazir Khan, Begum Tahira Bukhari, Ms. Iffat Liaqat, Mrs. Surraiya Jatoi, Shahjahan Baloch, Qaiser Jamal, Nasir Khan, Muhammad Kamal Malik, Bilal Rehman, Bismillah Khan MNAs and Ms. Naeema Kishwer Khan, MNA.
Mover and Minister of State for States and Frontier Regions and Officers/Officials of the Ministry and other attached departments were also present.
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