QUETTA: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Balochistan Assembly has disclosed that the finance department released a supplementary budget of Rs1.2 billion to police without prior approval from the assembly, which it said was a violation of Article 84 of the Constitution.

The disclosure came during a PAC meeting chaired by Asghar Ali Tareen.

Members of the committee condemned the unauthorised release of such a substantial amount, declared it a breach of constitutional protocol and called for immediate action against those responsible.

The committee further disclosed that despite receiving the additional grant, the police department failed to utilise the funds.

It noted that funds were eventually returned due to vacant posts and retirements, but the finance department did not complete the requisite legal procedures, indicating administrative negligence.

The meeting also raised concerns over unpaid dues from the previous fiscal year.

According to PAC, police personnel were deployed to provide security services to several public and private institutions, including PTCL, National Bank of Pakistan and Radio Pakistan, during the financial year 2022-23. However, Rs742.9 million in service dues remain unpaid.

The committee directed authorities to recover the amount within a month or suspend security services to defaulter organisations.

Moreover, an audit report cited by the committee exposed procurement violations during the 2021-22 fiscal year. It revealed that the police department purchased vehicles worth Rs458.8m without issuing open tenders, in violation of the public procurement rules.

Payments were made to two firms without proprietary certificates. The committee termed the action a serious “financial irregularity” and demanded accountability.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2025