The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has uncovered significant financial irregularities in the federal government’s expenditures for the fiscal year 2024-25. A notable revelation includes the Higher Education Commission (HEC) incurring a loss of Rs. 130 million through the procurement of overpriced laptops.
According to the audit report released on Tuesday, grants totaling Rs. 513 billion were disbursed without approval from Parliament. Moreover, Rs. 265 billion allocated to 175 federal departments remained unutilized and lapsed. Additionally, another Rs. 212 billion lapsed due to delayed surrender of 12 grants.
The report further criticized the approval of Rs. 24 billion in supplementary grants without proper scrutiny. Ministries also exceeded their budget limits by Rs. 12 billion.
A key constitutional concern raised in the report is the status of the Office of the Attorney General of Pakistan, which currently functions as a sub-office of the Law Ministry, thereby compromising its independence.
Lastly, the report stated that federal entities and provincial governments still owe Rs. 214 billion in wheat-related payments.
