The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday flagged serious financial irregularities in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, revealing that the majority of a Rs. 1.95 billion flood awareness grant was misused.
As per the 2023–24 audit report, only Rs. 160 million of the allocated amount was spent on flood-related awareness efforts. The rest was redirected toward promotional campaigns for unrelated government initiatives, a move that violates ECC guidelines for earmarked funds.
PAC members expressed frustration over the ministry’s lack of financial discipline and noted its poor internal oversight, particularly its failure to conduct timely Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) meetings.
The PAC has instructed the ministry to revisit the audit concerns in a forthcoming DAC session.
During the meeting, another lawmaker highlighted that while Pakistan Television (PTV) staff haven’t received salaries in over six months, external media consultants and TV personalities are being compensated generously, sparking additional outrage.