The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has identified over Rs375 trillion in financial mismanagement, irregularities, and public money losses across federal government departments and entities in its 2024-25 audit report, Dawn reported.
The findings raised concerns about the inefficient allocation of public funds, with only 13% directed towards socio-economic functions. The report highlighted wider gaps in fiscal management, including Rs284.17 trillion in procurement-related issues, Rs85.6 trillion in unexecuted or delayed civil work, and Rs2.5 trillion in receivables.
Further discrepancies were identified in areas such as non-settlement of circular debt (Rs1.228 trillion), violations of law and regulations (Rs958 billion), and weak internal controls (Rs677.5 billion).
The AGP also pointed out that 29% of supplementary grants for FY24, totaling Rs513.87 billion, were issued without parliamentary approval, constituting an unauthorized action. Rs212.08 billion in savings under 12 grants were not surrendered, and Rs12.6 billion worth of expenditures exceeded approved grants. Overall, the final expenditure was Rs39.945 trillion, showing a savings of Rs369.97 billion.
Despite the existence of internal audit setups in many government entities, the report stated that these failed to identify and address the irregularities effectively, underlining the need for stronger internal controls.
The report calls for corrective actions and improvements in financial management across federal government departments, highlighting the urgent need for reforms to prevent further losses and enhance fiscal discipline.
