The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed on Tuesday that a $3 million grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), allocated for Pakistan’s flood victims, was instead used to aid earthquake victims in Turkiye and Syria. The committee, chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan, reviewed audit reports of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Communications for the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
An audit report revealed that $3 million from the ADB grant—originally intended to procure relief items for flood-affected communities in Pakistan—was redirected for earthquake relief efforts abroad. As per the grant agreement signed on September 16, 2022, the funds were designated specifically for emergency response to Pakistan’s 2022 monsoon floods, especially to provide winterised tents and blankets to the flood-affected communities.
The audit found that despite this stated purpose, the NDMA dispatched these relief items to Turkiye and Syria instead. The report noted that this diversion of funds was unjustified, as it deprived Pakistan’s flood victims of the intended aid.
The NDMA defended the decision, stating that the relief items were sent to earthquake-hit areas on the directives of the prime minister, citing tight deadlines for the relief operation. The authority further claimed that the stock had been replenished to fulfill the original purpose of the grant.
During a Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) meeting on February 26, 2025, the NDMA reiterated that there was no unauthorised use of relief items as they were dispatched on official instructions.
However, the PAC has now directed the NDMA to submit a detailed report within a month.
