The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by MNA Junaid Akbar Khan, has uncovered serious financial mismanagement within the Ministry of Communications, highlighting irregularities in Pakistan Post and significant oil wastage at the PARCO depot in Kot Addu.
During a review of the Ministry’s audit report for 2022–23, audit officials revealed that Pakistan Post allegedly diverted Rs. 4 billion—funds that should have been deposited into the national treasury. The misuse spanned 37 post offices, where collections from utility bills and postal revenues were instead used to pay pensions to Pakistan Army officers and process money orders and Western Union transfers.
The Secretary Communications acknowledged the problem, attributing it to the lack of an effective payment system, but claimed the issue had since been resolved. Audit officials, however, disputed this, insisting that such illegal practices were still ongoing in various post offices.
In a separate case, the PAC examined gross negligence at the PARCO oil depot in Kot Addu, where oil worth Rs. 180 million was wasted after a valve was left open—allegedly while an official performed ablution—causing oil to flow into a sewer. The Managing Director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) reported that, of the Rs. 181 million lost, Rs. 50 million remains unrecovered, while Rs. 42 million has been recovered from five penalized officials. PAC members voiced concerns that the incident may involve misappropriation beyond simple negligence.
PAC member Shazia Marri questioned whether any company had been engaged to assess the environmental impact of the spill. The committee has now referred the matter to a subcommittee for further investigation.
