ISLAMABAD: Former Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Javed Jehangir has called for a review of the latest audit report, which has cited irregularities of an unprecedented Rs375 trillion (Rs375,000bn), 27 times bigger than total budget, in federal finances.
The issue regarding the figures, recently highlighted by this newspaper, has already stirred widespread disbelief.
Talking to The News, Jehangir, who completed his tenure in 2021, said the staggering amount “sounds abnormal” and warrants careful re-examination.
He pointed out that during his time, audit reports were made public only after being tabled in the National Assembly, adding: “I do not know why this report for audit year 2024-25 has been made public (put on AGP website) before even being presented in parliament.”
His comments come amid claims made by official sources that the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is itself unsure whether to lay the document before the National Assembly in its current form or to seek a recheck and verification in light of the controversy.
The debate follows The News story, published on Sunday last, which highlighted the extraordinary scale of irregularities reported by the AGP office.
The audit document cited anomalies amounting to Rs375,000 billion including Rs284.17 trillion in procurement, Rs85.6 trillion in delayed or defective civil works, Rs2.5 trillion in pending receivables and Rs1.2 trillion in circular debt, among other financial mismanagements.
The News story raised eyebrows across government circles and the financial community, given that Pakistan’s total GDP stands at around Rs110 trillion and the federal budget for 2023-24 was Rs14.5 trillion. In contrast, the audit’s quoted irregularities are more than 27 times larger than the national budget.
Experts believe the report either reflects a monumental accounting or compilation error, or points to a deeper credibility crisis in the country’s financial oversight mechanisms.
When approached earlier, the AGP office however, did not admit any mistake. Instead, it insisted that violations, irregularities, and embezzlement of financial rules from allocation to spending can surpass the total budgetary amounts. But the office did not explain how the figure reached as high as Rs375,000 billion.
With former AGP Jehangir now publicly questioning the report’s validity and government circles expressing unease, the future of the audit year 2024-25 report (financial year 2023-24) remains uncertain until it is reviewed.
