QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) met under the chairmanship of Asghar Ali Tareen to review audit and compliance reports concerning provincial finances.
Committee members Rahmat Saleh Baloch, Ghulam Dastagir Badini, Wali Muhammad Noorzai, Fazal Qadir Mandokhail, Zabad Ali Reki, Safia Bibi, senior officials from the Board of Revenue, the Directorate of Audit Balochistan, and numerous deputy commissioners and additional deputy commissioners attended the session.
The meeting focused on budget and account audits, uncovering multiple serious financial irregularities.
According to the audit report, for fiscal year 2016–17, non-development funds of 3,336.1 million rupees were allocated, of which 2,595.47 million rupees were spent, while savings of 740.6 million rupees were not surrendered, reflecting weak financial discipline.
Similarly, during 2019–20 and 2020–21, various Board of Revenue offices failed to provide records for expenditures amounting to 33.736 million rupees, preventing proper scrutiny.
The committee was informed that in 2020–21 and 2021–22, different deputy commissioners’ offices deposited 19,144.236 million rupees into separate bank accounts instead of the provincial treasury, a clear violation of regulations.
The report further revealed that between 2019 and 2021, the government lost 1,101.469 million rupees because usher, irrigation tax (abiana), and agricultural income tax were not collected.
Additionally, from 2019 to 2022, several commissioners and deputy commissioners issued checks worth 228.964 million rupees in the names of Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) instead of paying vendors directly, again breaching established rules.
Chairman Tareen emphasized that budget savings must be surrendered on time and ordered strict measures to prevent such non-transparent financial practices.
The committee instructed all departments to immediately provide records for audit and PAC verification, deposit unlawfully retained funds into the government treasury, and take action against responsible officials.
Multiple inquiries were ordered, and members voiced concern that many deputy commissioners had yet to implement PAC directives issued in 2020.
The committee warned that if old and new directives were not followed within a month, strong action would be taken against the relevant commissioners and deputy commissioners.
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PAC concluded that sound financial management is impossible without strict adherence to rules and declared that negligence will not be tolerated.
