A significant financial irregularity involving more than PKR 19 billion has been highlighted during a review of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
The disclosure was made during a meeting of a subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by its convener Moeen Aamir Pirzada, which examined audit objections related to BISP covering the period from 2010 to 2023.
During the meeting, auditors revealed that more than PKR 19 billion had been disbursed outside the beneficiaries’ respective provinces or districts.
According to audit officials, a single BISP franchise in Multan processed payments for beneficiaries from 39 different districts. They noted that, under the applicable rules, beneficiaries are not permitted to withdraw BISP payments outside their designated province. The audit also identified 21 cases in which payments were linked to individuals who had already been reported deceased.
Convener Moeen Aamir Pirzada said the committee had referred the audit observation to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) eight months ago, but no relevant officer had yet provided the requested records. He directed that details of the responsible officials be submitted.
The Public Accounts Committee granted BISP a 15-day deadline to provide all relevant records for further examination.
