Senate Committee chaired by Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur calls for increased accountability & transparency in national federations & IPPs

ISLAMABAD, August 27 (SABAH): The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution, chaired by Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, convened on Tuesday at the Parliament House.

The Secretary of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) briefed the Committee on the number of employees and the attached departments of the Ministry, as well as the details of the sports federations registered with the Pakistan Sports Board. He also provided an overview of the Ministry’s human resources, including both sanctioned and currently working officers.

Additionally, the Secretary reported that there are 44 registered National Sports Federations, with the grants for these federations funded by the Ministry. The committee members also discussed matters related to the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

Chairperson Senator Dr. Zarqa inquired about the accountability of the head of the federation and emphasized the importance of the inquiries’ outcomes. She proposed that inquiries be conducted across all federations. Citing the example of Arshad Nadeem, she highlighted that 64% of Pakistan’s population is under 30 years old, yet this demographic remains unrecognized, despite significant budget allocations yielding unsatisfactory results.

Senator Dr. Zarqa also pointed out the omission of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from the discussion. She questioned who would oversee the PCB’s affairs given its current performance and requested a list of federation chairpersons and the duration of their service, as well as details of the Olympic Committee’s Chairpersons and their tenure. The Secretary (IPC) acknowledged these recommendations and added that the requested details would be provided.

The Committee unanimously decided to devolve the Inter-Provincial Coordination Ministry, as required by the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The members also discussed the need for a mechanism to address surplus employment within the Ministry, emphasizing that the matter would be referred to the Establishment Division.

Furthermore, Chairperson Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur expressed concerns about the functioning of Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and voiced displeasure over the lack of transparency in contracts and the negligence associated with them. She stated that the IPPs have caused significant hardships for the common people and called for accountability. She directed the Ministry to conduct a forensic audit of the IPPs.

The meeting concluded with the Chairperson recommending that details of standard contracts, a list of power plants’ capacity charges, and timelines for their operations be provided. She also requested that information on LNG projects be shared with the Committee.

In attendance were Senator Poonjo Mal Bheel, Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Senator Fawzia Arshad, the Secretary of Inter Provincial Coordination, the Secretary of Power Division, and senior officials from the relevant departments.