Parliament Bypassed as Billions Flow into Unauthorised Grants

AGP flags Rs513.87bn in supplementary spending without Parliamentary approval; only 13% reaches citizens

ISLAMABAD —The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has called out the federal government for bypassing parliament, revealing that Rs513.87 billion of supplementary grants in FY24 were issued without approval. The report lays bare systemic gaps that allow billions of rupees to slip through oversight cracks, leaving only a fraction of funds for public welfare.

According to the AGP, debt and interest payments gobbled up 86.69% of general expenditure, leaving just 13.31% for socio-economic development. The recurrence of such financial mismanagement points to weak internal controls and lets executive powers sidestep the legislature, raising serious questions about accountability and transparency.

The audit picked up several alarming irregularities, including Rs284.17 trillion in procurement-related issues, Rs85.6 trillion in defective or delayed civil works, and Rs1.228 trillion in unresolved circular debt. Violations of laws and regulations accounted for Rs958 billion, weak internal controls Rs677.5 billion, and poor asset management Rs628 billion. Despite having internal audit setups, many entities failed to catch these irregularities, exposing systemic loopholes.

Budget management also fell short, with non-surrendered savings of Rs212.08 billion under 12 grants and Rs12.6 billion spent beyond approved limits. Supplementary grants worth Rs1.765 trillion were approved, but over Rs513 billion went ahead without parliamentary nod. While the Ministry of Finance promises to regularize them in the next budget, the report stresses that repeated bypasses eat into public trust.

The audit also highlighted Rs92 billion lost to non-recovery of government shares and encroachment on public land, along with Rs165 billion in miscellaneous irregularities and Rs73 billion in service delivery issues. Taken together, these figures bring out how weak legislative oversight allows financial mismanagement to snowball into massive losses.

The AGP warns that parliament must step in to strengthen checks and ensure public funds aren’t swallowed up by debt and mismanagement. Without effective oversight, projects stall, internal audits fall flat, and citizens are left with minimal benefits. Strengthening parliamentary review and enforcing timely approvals of supplementary grants are key to keeping a lid on misuse and putting public money back on track.