The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) reported over Rs1 trillion in financial irregularities in Punjab’s 2023-24 expenditure accounts. This article details the findings and recommended reforms.
The AGP’s 2024-25 audit, covering fiscal year 2023-24, revealed significant irregularities in Punjab’s government spending, totalling over Rs1 trillion. Key issues include:
- Fraud and Misappropriation: 14 cases worth Rs3.1 billion.
- Overpayments/Unauthorised Payments: 50 cases amounting to Rs25.4 billion, with Rs2.2 billion recovered from February 2024 to January 2025.
- Financial Mismanagement: 21 cases totalling Rs 10.6 billion.
- Mis-procurement: 45 cases worth Rs43 billion, violating Punjab Procurement Rules 2014.
- Unauthorised Fund Retention: Rs988 billion in commercial banks, including non-interest-bearing accounts.
- HR and Performance Issues: 24 HR-related irregularities (Rs8.2 billion) and seven performance deficiencies (Rs3.6 billion).
Significant cases include Rs282 billion in unresolved e-pay receipts, Rs352 billion in outstanding loans, and Rs44 billion in unreported consolidated funds.
Punjab’s budget allocation primarily focused on communication and infrastructure projects (41%), followed by health (15%), housing (11%), and education (6%). However, agriculture (4%) and irrigation (5%) received much less funding, despite their significant economic role. The budget also shows that salaries accounted for 25% of expenditures, debt repayment took up 20%, and debt servicing consumed 5%. Only 2% was allocated for maintenance, revealing some budgetary imbalances.
Audit report finds over Rs 1000 billion irregularities in Punjab.
Key audit findings include 14 cases of fraud and misappropriation.https://t.co/HmrGuDWnnP
— Ansar Abbasi (@AnsarAAbbasi) June 22, 2025According to Geo News, the AGP called for fraud investigations, stricter adherence to procurement rules, and improved internal controls to prevent misappropriation and enhance revenue collection.
The AGP also recommended merit-based hiring and stronger monitoring to improve service delivery. Punjab Minister Azma Bokhari assured us compliance would be achieved through Special Departmental Accounts Committees (SDACs) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Senior journalist Ansar A. Abbasi expressed alarm over the Rs1 trillion irregularities, though some unverified claims about political motives require caution. The findings align with broader concerns about Pakistan’s fiscal oversight, with the IMF noting 600,000 pending audit cases.
