The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has referred the case of alleged illegal appointments at the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further investigation, according to a news report.
The move comes amid serious concerns raised over the council’s hiring practices.
During a meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan, the PAC reviewed irregularities amounting to over Rs8.31 billion in the Ministry of Science and Technology for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The committee also called for a special audit of the power plants that have been sold so far.
The Auditor General of Pakistan informed the committee that the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) had failed to submit its accounts for audit, and highlighted that several other government bodies, numbering seven or eight, were also refusing audits.Â
In response, the PAC decided to summon the heads of all institutions that have neglected to comply with constitutional requirements for audits through the Department of the Auditor General.
A significant issue discussed at the meeting was the hiring of 332 individuals by PARC, despite only 164 vacancies being advertised. Dr. Ghulam Ali, Chairman of PARC, appeared before the committee to explain the discrepancy. According to audit officials, the council had posted more than double the advertised positions, raising concerns about the legality and transparency of the hiring process.
