Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The audit authorities have failed to prevent corruption in the distribution of Zakat in the country as financial irregularities and embezzlement in Pakistan have reached an astonishing Rs 69 billion during the current fiscal year, an increase of a whopping Rs 57 billion in FY 2014-15.

Interestingly, the paras of audit objection regarding Zakat fund raised by the Auditor General of Pakistan could not be discussed in the Public Accounts Committee during the last four years. Daily Times obtained the audit documents which revealed that corruption in the Zakat fund had increased by five times. The AGP had pointed out irregularities of Rs 12.03 billion during 2014-15 that had reached up to Rs 69.628 billion in 2015-16. The reports also showed that during the year of 2014-15, irregularities of Rs 2.43 billion were carried out in the Zakat fund by violating rules and regulations, which swelled to Rs 3.98 billion in 2015-16.

Similarly, the audit objections regarding Rs 320.65 million in 2015-16 were pointed out in Zakat fund during the audit as the relevant record of the said amount was missing.

The auditors also raised objections on the loss of Rs 9.269 billion to the national kitty during 2014-15 by negligence and carelessness, which was enhanced to Rs 65.48 billion in FY 2015-16.

The report also mentioned that the PAC did not talk about the audit objections of the Zakat fund raised from 2011-12 to 2014-15. Total expenditures of Rs 40.27 million were incurred dealing with Zakat and Usher fund throughout the country and a sum of Rs 8.7 million was recovered on the instruction of the audit authorities.