The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to recover the Rs. 347 million loss caused to the national exchequer by the illegal use of helicopters owned by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government.
The meeting of the Public Accounts Committee was held on Tuesday under the chair of MNA Noor Alam Khan. The meeting was also attended by the new Chairman of NAB, Aftab Sultan.
Chairman NAB briefed the committee regarding an inquiry, authorized on 14 February 2018, into the misuse of helicopters by Chairman PTI and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
As per the details, two helicopters, procured for the use of the Chief Minister and Governor, were illegally used for transporting individuals unaccompanied by the Chief Minister (CM).
The helicopters can only be used with the permission of the Chief Minister, Chairman NAB informed. He further revealed that over 1,800 unauthorized individuals have taken flight in the said helicopters with the permission of the then Chief Minister, Pervez Khattak. The said beneficiaries used the helicopters for 561 hours, causing a loss of Rs. 239.59 million to the national exchequer.
Chairman NAB further informed that the former Prime Minister Imran Khan used the helicopter without lawful authority for 166 hours, causing a loss of Rs. 70.43 million. He further informed that the concerned individuals also caused a loss of Rs. 37 million under the heads of overhauling the helicopter and custom duties.
The bureau maintained that the loss of Rs. 347 million was caused by the active connivance of the former CM, Pervez Khattak, and recommended that the inquiry be turned into an investigation.
The PAC ordered NAB to send the matter to the KP government and recover the loss caused to the national exchequer.
