Can’t understand how NDMA is spending billions of rupees: SC

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Tuesday remarked that one could not understand how billions of rupees were being spent as the job to tackle coronavirus, locusts, floods and everything had been assigned to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The NDMA is importing planes and machinery to fight the locust attack, said the chief justice, adding that transparency would have to be shown through documents, not verbally.

The five-member Supreme Court rejected the report submitted by the NDMA as Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan – the other member of the bench – observed that the Authority was answerable to the court and the people. The NDMA was given a freehand and huge funds to fight the coronavirus, he added.

During the hearing of the coronavirus suo motu case, the chief justice remarked that the NDMA imported the vaccine without the approval of DRAP (Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan) and it wasn’t shared in the report that who had imported the item.

He observed that the NDMA tried to relieve itself of responsibility by presenting a few papers. Perhaps a lot of wrongs has been done and therefore an attempt is being made to cover that up, the chief justice observed.

Promising not to allow anyone to make profit of a single rupee, the chief justice stressed that the country’s organisations must work in a transparent manner.

He noted that it seemed that cash payment was made to a company which had no link with the matter. Seemingly, the sum had been released to China via the Pakistani embassy in Beijing, the chief justice remarked.

Chief Justice Gulzar observed that NDMA Chairman Lt-Gen Afzal had failed to explain the issue as he added that someone tried to deceive the court.

He remarked why the government shouldn’t be advised to abolish the Authority and issue contempt of court notice to its chairman, asking the attorney general what is happening here.

Later, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan requested the court to return the reply submitted by NDMA with an assurance a detailed version would be filed along with the related documents. 

 Meanwhile, the court also declared the report filed by DRAP as unsatisfactory and sought the details of all the imported medicines.