LAHORE – The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has uncovered financial irregularities exceeding Rs1 trillion in Punjab government accounts for the fiscal year 2023–24, according to a recent audit report. The report highlights serious issues across various departments and autonomous bodies.
The AGP report lists 14 fraud cases totaling Rs3.1 billion, 50 unauthorized payments amounting to Rs25.4 billion, and 21 financial mismanagement cases worth Rs10.6 billion. It also identifies 45 mis-procurement cases valued at Rs43 billion and 12 cases of unauthorized retention of Rs988 billion in non-interest-bearing accounts.
Furthermore, the audit exposes 24 human resource irregularities costing Rs8.2 billion and seven performance-related problems totaling Rs3.6 billion. The AGP stressed the need for investigations, recovery of overpayments, and strict action against responsible officials to improve governance and transparency.
Among specific concerns, the report notes unreconciled e-pay receipts worth Rs282 billion, Rs352 billion in unrecovered loans, and Rs44 billion in unreported consolidated funds held in banks. It also highlights unpaid subsidies and the non-retrieval of encroached state land.
The audit calls for urgent reforms in financial management, procurement processes, and project monitoring. It recommends stopping the unauthorized retention of funds in commercial banks and enforcing merit-based hiring to strengthen the provincial government’s financial health.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari responded, assuring that all audit objections will be reviewed by Special Departmental Accounts Committees (SDACs). Unresolved issues will be sent to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for legal action and resolution.