Major mly entities top the list: KPT yet to recover Rs 1.28 billion from 45 public departments.

Karachi Port Trust (KPT) is yet to recover Rs 1.28 billion from 45 public departments including Federal Investigating Agency (FIA), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI) and Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF). This was revealed to a subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which met here under the chairmanship of MNA Shafqat Mahmood Thursday to discuss and review audit paras of Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) for the year 2015-16.
Audit officials while briefing the panel said that this amount against various public sector entities has been outstanding since 1999 and departments have been continuously making excuses in repaying the amount to the KPT since long. The audit officials said that the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) is the major defaulter of KPT which has to pay over Rs 1 billion.
Member committee Mian Abdul Mannan said that the recovery of money from the WAPDA and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is as difficult as asking some dead body to bring something. The audit officials further informed the panel that the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) awarded a contract of drilling six oil/gas wells to a company at almost four times high rates at Rs 950 million against Rs 250 million in violation of the set rules and regulations. The officials of the OGDCL informed the panel that the case is with the FIA and Rs 700 millions have been recovered so far on which the panel settled the para.
While giving details, the audit officials said that due to the mismanagement of KPT administration, an estimated Rs 1.28 billion are outstanding against various public sector entities including top national intelligence agencies.
They said that the WAPDA has not paid Rs 1 billion to the KPT on account of storage charges for many years, the Ministry of Agriculture owes Rs 8.5 million, Pakistan Railways, Rs 500,000, Naval Dock, Rs 95,000, ANF, Rs 23,000, FIA, Rs 283,000, Karachi Dock Labor Board, Rs 30,000, Military Estate, Rs 522,000, National Logistic Cell, Rs 22,000, regional Metrological Department, Rs 11,000, Intelligence Bureau, Rs 15,000, ISI, Rs 193,000, and the MI owes Rs 134,000. The committee postponed further discussion on the matter.
The meeting was further informed that the KPT authorities haven't collect Rs 1.42 billion on account of withholding tax from M/s China Harbor Engineering Company Limited and M/s Pomkom since 2011. The Federal Board of Revenue issued a letter to the companies on the issue of withholding tax in 2015; however, later on the FBR exempted the companies from WHT. The chairman committee sought details of entire matter from the FBR authorities, saying that the tax collecting authorities have no right to exempt already imposed taxes.