The Balochistan Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC)—the house body that reviews how departments spend public money—has opened a Balochistan PAC probe into financial irregularities that centres on a nearly Rs7.71 billion gap in provincial accounts. Meeting in Quetta under chair Asghar Ali Tareen, members examined audit objections and accountability failures across provincial departments, including a large unreconciled difference between cash books and bank records and serious financial default at a premier provincial university.
Certification audit and who was in the room
The session reviewed the Certification Audit Report of the Accountant General of Balochistan. Committee members Rahmat Saleh Baloch, Wali Muhammad Noorzai and Zabid Ali Reki took part, with senior officials including Assembly Secretary Tahir Shah Kakar, Accountant General Nasrullah Jan, Director General Audit Shuja Ali, Finance Secretary Muhammad Jahangir Khan Kakar, Special Secretary PAC Siraj Lehri and Additional Secretary Law Saeed Iqbal.
Proceedings began with sharp criticism from the chair and members when the Finance Secretary was initially absent. Rahmat Saleh Baloch stressed that senior finance officials must attend certification audits so the committee can hold departments to account directly. Finance Secretary Muhammad Jahangir Khan Kakar later joined and briefed the panel.
The Rs7.71 billion accounts gap
Members voiced deep concern over mismatches among physical cash figures, ledger books and bank records. Audit findings showed that as of June 30, 2023, provincial financial statements recorded a balance of more than Rs23.06 billion, while State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)—the country’s central bank—records put the figure at about Rs15.29 billion. That left an unreconciled gap of nearly Rs7.71 billion.
Audit officials attributed the variance to poor record-keeping, failure to post uncashed cheques, and a lasting failure to reconcile accounts on time among the Finance Department, the SBP and the National Bank of Pakistan. The Balochistan PAC probe into financial irregularities treated that gap as a core test of whether provincial books can be trusted.
University default and what the committee is pressing
Alongside the provincial accounts discrepancy, the committee flagged significant financial default at a premier provincial university, underscoring that accountability problems stretch beyond the main treasury books. By insisting that finance leadership appear for certification audits and by walking through the Accountant General’s report with audit and finance officials present, the Balochistan Assembly PAC is using its scrutiny role to demand clearer answers on how the shortfall arose and how departments will close audit objections.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Balochistan Assembly ke PAC ne Quetta mein hisaab-kitab ki bari kamiyan dekhi hain. June 2023 tak sarkari books mein paisa SBP ke record se lagbhag 7.71 arab rupay zyada dikhaya gaya. Audit ke mutabiq cheques aur bank se mel milana late tha. Aam logon ke liye yeh is liye zaroori hai ke un ka tax aur sarkari fund sahi hisaab se track ho.
