A Senate panel on Thursday expressed strong disapproval of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) for purchasing 78 luxury vehicles worth Rs. 740 million, despite a federal government ban on such expenditures under its austerity policy. The panel also raised concerns over decades-long delays in resolving financial irregularities and pending inquiries.
The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, directed the Ministry of Water Resources to complete hundreds of pending inquiries within six months. The committee noted that 187 audit paras related to Wapda’s financial affairs remain unresolved, with some dating back to 1985. In certain cases, the ministry lacked records entirely.
Senator Awan highlighted the lack of progress on an inquiry into the purchase of luxury vehicles, which was initiated in March 2022 but remains incomplete. He questioned how such purchases were made in violation of the federal cabinet’s austerity directives. Additionally, he pointed to a Rs29 billion financial irregularity, noting that no inquiry had been initiated into the matter by the ministry.
The Secretary of Water Resources assured the committee that inquiries into audit paras would be conducted in chronological order, with priority given to foreign-aided projects. Wapda officials reported that of the 56 inquiries initiated on the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), 43 have been completed, 10 are ongoing, and 3 are under investigation by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Similarly, of the 381 inquiries initiated on the recommendations of the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC), 308 have been completed, while 67 remain pending.
The committee directed the Ministry of Water Resources to provide details of cases pending in courts and to share information on individuals held responsible in completed inquiries. It also called for the findings of the inquiry into the luxury vehicle purchases to be shared with the panel, with accountability measures to be taken if wrongdoing is established.
