Audit report questions payment of over Rs50m made to private advertising company by PPP
ISLAMABAD:
A sub-committee of Pakistan’s Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday raised serious questions over the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting’s undisclosed expenditure, highlighting Rs101.4 million in secret funds.
The committee noted that Rs70 million was spent under a special advertising fund, Rs26.6 million allocated to the Institute of Regional Studies and another Rs4.8 million spent on secret service expenses. Audit officials said payment vouchers and bank statements were not provided.
The ministry did not provide a statement of expenditure, prompting the audit report to note “serious questions” about the use of these funds. He also criticized the department for keeping secret funds out of the audit process, calling it “unconstitutional.”
Bilal Mandokhail, a member of the committee, expressed his frustration: “There is no trace of anything. How is this possible?”
The subcommittee decided to send a notice to the retired Secretary of Information and request a formal response. MPs also reminded civil servants of the constitutional directive that the Auditor General must have access to all government documents.
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Officials stressed that under the law, officers are legally required to provide complete records for audit. The commission warned that action would be taken against officials who obstruct the audit process and stressed that secret funds could only be classified under the law.
The audit report also raised questions over a payment of over Rs50 million made to a private advertising company for a campaign on behalf of Benazir Bhutto, benefiting the Pakistan People’s Party.
Commenting on the payment, Mandokhail asked: “Did the song really become a hit? Was it actually played?”
The information secretary admitted the department did not have any details, prompting the committee to ask officials to provide full information.
