Billions Meant for Poor Diverted: Pakistan Officials Took PKR 23.68 Billion from BISP, Audit Reveals

Islamabad,M.Saleem Jutt . 

A major financial scandal has surfaced in Pakistan after revelations that billions of rupees from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), originally intended to aid the poorest families, were unlawfully transferred to government officials.

An audit report presented before a sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Convener Moeen Aamir Pirzada, disclosed that more than PKR 23.68 billion was disbursed to over 140,000 government employees, including senior officers from Grade 16 to Grade 22.

The report highlighted that 85 officers of Grade 20 and 630 officers of Grade 19 were among the recipients, with each official receiving around PKR 7,000 annually from the programme.

The Auditor General of Pakistan confirmed that PKR 16.33 billion has been recovered so far, while a significant amount remains pending.

The PAC sub-committee has instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate criminal proceedings against Grade 16–22 officers, and to ensure the recovery of funds from employees in Grade 15 and below.

The revelations have sparked public concern about systemic loopholes and misuse in Pakistan’s flagship social safety net programme, which was created to provide relief to underprivileged citizens, not state functionaries.