Pakistan: Auditor General Report Reveals Rs 1.08 Trillion in Financial Irregularities in Punjab

LAHORE, Pakistan — The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has released its 2025 audit report exposing massive financial irregularities totaling over Rs 1.08 trillion in Punjab province, raising serious questions about governance and accountability under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s administration.
The comprehensive audit uncovered systematic financial mismanagement across multiple government departments and sectors:
Secret Funds Misuse: Over Rs 550 million in irregularities were identified in the expenditure of confidential funds.
Counter-Terrorism Department: Rs 404.2 million in corruption was detected in irregular accounts linked to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab.
Home Department: Rs 99.5 million in financial irregularities were found in the Home Section.
Fraud and Embezzlement: The audit revealed Rs 3.1 billion lost to fraudulent activities and misappropriation.
Unauthorized Payments: A staggering Rs 25.4 billion was spent through unauthorized payments and excess disbursements.
Financial Mismanagement: Rs 10.6 billion in losses stemmed from poor financial administration.
Illegal Procurement: The largest single category showed Rs 43 billion in mis-procurement and unauthorized purchases.
Human Resources Irregularities: Rs 8.2 billion in irregularities were linked to human resource management issues.
Performance Deficiencies: Rs 3.6 billion in losses resulted from performance failures across departments.
Illegal Consolidated Funds: The most alarming figure of Rs 988 billion was identified in unauthorized consolidated funds.
Opposition politicians have seized on the report to criticize the provincial government’s claims of development and progress, with critics alleging that advertising projects has been used as cover for widespread corruption.
The Punjab government has not yet issued an official response to the audit findings. The AGP report will likely trigger parliamentary debates and calls for accountability measures.