Islamabad, 7 July, 2023 (GNP): The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the parliament on Thursday gave due attention to the data leakage of citizens by the National Data and Registration Authority (NADRA) and ordered the interior ministry to probe into the matter immediately.
PAC ordered the Ministry of Interior to conduct a joint investigation into the data leak in cooperation with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and Military Intelligence (MI).
MNA/Chairman @NOORALAMKHAN presided the meeting of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at Parliament House.@NAofPakistan #NACommittee pic.twitter.com/2qX0msqgMv
— Committees of NA (@NA_Committees) July 6, 2023
Meanwhile, the PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan also asked PTA to block the data online, stating, “Everyone’s personal data is available on the internet. Data of military authorities has also been leaked. How was it leaked from NADRA?”
However, the state secretary for religious affairs was called at the committee meeting to brief over the issue of poor arrangements of Hajj performed in 2023, but his non-appearance displeased the committee.
The PAC was notified by the religious affairs ministry’s officials that the secretary had returned back from Saudi Arabia just a day earlier and was not well. The committee summoned religious affairs secretary on Monday again.
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Noor inquired the officials whether the secretary was bedridden or in the intensive care unit that he could not attend the meeting.
Moreover, the committee directed an investigation of the alleged abuse and mismanagement of Pakistani pilgrims.
Thousands of Pakistani pilgrims who went to Makkah for performing Hajj under the government scheme could not make it to Mina on time due to unavailability of transport.
The PAC also ordered to look into the cases of private Hajj operators and the chairman of the committee said that many Pakistani Hujjaj had contacted him personally.
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Furthermore, the committee asked for an explanation from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for not taking any measures against eight banks reported to be involved in illegal profiteering.
The members of PAC noticed that those banks had gained illegal profits by opening letters of credit worth Rs120 each for Rs180.
The committee further stated that SBP had taken notice of this unlawful practice but had not given clear information about what course of legal action it had taken against the banks involved in it.
