ISLAMABAD; A sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed on Thursday that hundreds of government officers and bureaucrats had misappropriated funds intended for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) beneficiaries.
The sub-committee, chaired by Moin Amir Pirzada, instructed that criminal charges be filed against the officials involved, ranging from Grade 17 to Grade 22. The meeting reviewed audit objections concerning the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, BISP, and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal.
Audit officials revealed that some government employees, pensioners, and even their spouses had illegally received BISP payments, despite being ineligible for the programme. The convener questioned why recoveries had not yet been made. The BISP secretary explained that the beneficiaries belonged to various departments and that the organisation lacked a proper recovery mechanism. He disclosed that 85 officers of Grade 20, 630 officers of Grade 19, and even some Grade 22 officers—mostly from provincial cadres—were among the recipients.
Committee members expressed outrage over the absence of a recovery system. “Don’t they feel ashamed of misappropriating even seven thousand rupees?” one member remarked. FIA officials informed the committee that 879 FIRs had been registered and 292 arrests made, with challans submitted to the courts. The committee directed that criminal charges be framed against officers above Grade 16 and that such individuals be removed from service.
The meeting also addressed audit objections regarding payments made to deceased individuals. Audit officials reported that Rs15.06 million had been disbursed to people who had passed away, some even before 2008. The BISP secretary clarified that in 94 percent of 841 cases, the beneficiaries were later found to be alive, and the committee ordered verification of the records.
Another audit briefing revealed that BISP had failed to recover Rs607 million in penalties from banks that did not de-credit dormant beneficiary accounts as per contractual terms. The committee deferred further discussion on this matter to the next meeting.
Additionally, an objection against Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal was examined, alleging irregular payments of Rs156 million in excess house rent allowance between 2019 and 2022 due to a unilateral increase of the allowance to 80 percent. The committee postponed further proceedings until additional investigations are completed.
