Corruption allegations and record tampering plague PWD

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD), a subordinate office of the Ministry of Housing and Works, is currently facing serious allegations of corruption, irregularities, and record tampering. Multiple investigative bodies, including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Anti-Corruption, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Directorate General Office of PWD, have initiated inquiries into these grave allegations.
Once regarded as a symbol of development, the PWD has now become synonymous with corruption and mismanagement. Numerous instances of corrupt practices and irregularities by PWD officers have come to light, leading to investigations and court hearings.
Adding to the concerns, the Islamabad Model Jail, which has suffered from project delays, stands in stark contrast to the remarkable achievement of laying a 1,800-kilometer pipeline in a single day. However, there have been reports of engineers in the North Zone misrepresenting facts, raising doubts about their credibility and the quality of their work.
In recent developments, Divisional Accounts Officer (DAO) Abrar Ahmed and diploma holder Executive Engineer (XEN) Batkhela Rasheed Baloch have been implicated in favoring a private firm by tampering with cheques worth millions of rupees. Shockingly, a cheque numbered C086867, amounting to an astonishing sum of 13,900,818 rupees, was tampered with. It was disclosed that this cheque had already been cleared from the treasury on June 23rd, despite it being a Sunday. This discrepancy raises serious questions about the integrity of the system and its vulnerability to manipulation.
Another case that has emerged involves cheque number C077535, which was tampered with and falsely dated June 22nd, with a value exceeding 12 million rupees. Intriguingly, a cheque issued in the name of SDO Aftab Ahmed, cleared from the treasury, bears the same date, further fueling suspicions of irregularities.
When confronted with these discrepancies, Divisional Accounts Officer Abrar failed to provide a satisfactory explanation. Furthermore, when questioned about the designation of Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) in the PWD, Abrar claimed that it was interchangeable with the position of Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO), despite this being inaccurate.
The situation worsened when it was revealed that the Director Budgets and Accounts, Chief Engineer, and Director General of PWD had written a letter stating that the individuals in question were not present in the office. This raises concerns about how cheques were being issued in the absence of these individuals. Unfortunately, no satisfactory response was given, and the presence of the accused during duty hours remains uncertain.
Despite the orders from the Islamabad High Court, attempts to seek clarification from Rasheed Baloch regarding the signatures on the cheques have been unsuccessful. He has evaded questions and has not provided a response, leaving the matter unresolved.
The ongoing corruption scandal within the Pakistan Public Works Department has raised significant concerns among the public, casting doubts on the transparency and integrity of the system. There is an urgent need for a thorough investigation and prompt action to address these allegations.