The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly has uncovered financial irregularities exceeding Rs5.9 billion in the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department and major infrastructure projects in Gwadar. During a recent PAC meeting chaired by Asghar Ali Tareen, serious lapses were revealed in procurement practices, project delays, and unaccounted expenditures spanning 2018 to 2021. The session included senior audit officials, committee members, and opposition leaders who expressed deep concerns over transparency and governance.
A special audit report highlighted several discrepancies including payments of nearly Rs240 million made without deducting income tax and contracts worth Rs4.9 billion awarded without any formal tendering process. Significant irregularities were also noted in water supply schemes executed during drought conditions, where over Rs380 million were mishandled. Furthermore, purchases of fuel, oil, lubricants, and repair materials by the Gwadar executive engineer were made without proper documentation, raising suspicion about the legitimacy of these transactions.
PAC members called for thorough investigations into officials responsible for the financial mismanagement and demanded accountability for the missing records. Chairman Tareen stressed the importance of protecting public funds and warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone found guilty of corruption or misuse of resources after due process. The committee’s criticism extended to the Gwadar water project, with concerns raised that billions spent could have been better utilized to ensure water supply via ships from Singapore.
The committee also reviewed the troubled Mangi Dam project, initially scheduled for completion in June 2022 but now significantly delayed, with costs soaring from Rs7 billion to over Rs18 billion. The audit report blamed consultant inefficiency, flawed planning, and frequent project revisions for the overruns and delays. Despite its massive budget, the project has failed to provide clean drinking water to the public, leading to sharp criticism from the PAC.
Chairman Tareen described the situation as an institutional failure and announced plans for an on-site assessment of the projects with committee members. The PAC is determined to uncover the full extent of the financial irregularities and ensure that responsible individuals are held accountable, reaffirming its commitment to safeguarding public resources and improving governance in Balochistan’s development initiatives.