The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly has uncovered billions of rupees in financial irregularities, exposing weak fiscal controls, unsurrendered savings, and violations of treasury rules by government officials.
The revelations came during a PAC meeting chaired by Asghar Ali Tareen, which reviewed audit reports covering the period between 2016 and 2022. The committee described the findings as serious lapses in financial discipline across multiple government departments.
According to the 2016–17 audit report, out of Rs3.34 billion allocated for non-development expenditures, Rs740.6 million in savings were never surrendered, indicating poor financial management.
More alarming was the discovery that between 2020 and 2022, deputy commissioners illegally held over Rs19.14 billionin private bank accounts instead of depositing the money into the provincial treasury as required by law.
The audit also highlighted other breaches, including:
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Auditors being denied access to expenditure records worth Rs33.74 million (2019–21).
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Failure to collect over Rs1.1 billion in Usher, irrigation tax, and agricultural income tax.
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Improper issuance of cheques worth Rs228.96 million from commissioners’ offices to Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) instead of directly to vendors.
PAC Chairman Tareen expressed deep concern, stressing that financial transparency cannot be achieved without strict compliance with rules. He directed:
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Immediate surrender of all budget savings.
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Mandatory deposit of withheld funds into the provincial treasury.
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Submission of all pending records to audit authorities.
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Disciplinary action against negligent officers.
The committee also criticized several deputy commissioners for ignoring PAC directives issued as far back as 2020.
“The continuity of such practices undermines accountability and deprives Balochistan’s exchequer of vital resources,” Chairman Tareen warned, urging strong measures to enforce fiscal discipline.
