The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led coalition government, in its last 33 months spent Rs 7.3 billion in secret funds under the garb of three-dozen departments, several of whom have nothing to do with ‘secret’ business.
These organisations not only spent more than their allocated budgets but many of the departments were directly dealing with public like the Federal Board of Revenue, Air Port Security Force, Ministry of Information and Technology and Ministry of Communication.
Of the total expenditures, Rs 3.7 billion were spent by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) while the rest of the amount was spent through 36 different federal ministries and departments.
In the last three years, against allocation of Rs 3.141 billion, these 36 ministries and departments ended up spending Rs 3.573 billion till April this year.
The figures were disclosed after a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja handed over a report filed by Auditor General of Pakistan to the petitioners in the case of secret funds of Information Ministry.
The report contains the details of the secret service expenditures spent by 36 ministries and departments of the federal government in last 33 months commencing from July 2010 to April 2013.
“Every penny of the public exchequer spent even under secret funds will be subjected to audit and be made public as the money belonged to the people of Pakistan,” said Justice Khawaja.
According to the report, Rs 376.881million was allocated under secret service expenditure for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Rs 345.002million was spent in last 33 months.
Ministry of Information Technology got allocations of Rs 1.422 billion of which it spent Rs 2.099 billion.
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting spent Rs377.896 million against the allocation of Rs 456.476 million.
Foreign Affairs Division was allocated Rs 9.996 million but the division spent Rs 9.982 million. Communication Division was allocated Rs 15.300 million of which Rs13.950 million were spent.
The Interior Division spent Rs 256.465 million against the allocation of Rs 297.800 million. Narcotics Control Division spent Rs 26.385 against the allocation of Rs 36.850 million.
The National Accountability Bureau NAB spent Rs 21.162 million against the allocation of Rs 21.170 million.
The Federal Tax Ombudsman spent Rs 7.400 million against the allocation of Rs 8.729 million.
The other federal institutions that spent handsome amounts under secret service expenditure are Afghan Refugees, Airports Security Force, Federal Board of Revenue, Civil Armed Forces, Customs, Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission, Frontier Regions, Frontier Constabulary, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas FATA, Gilgit-Baltistan, Information Services Board, Chief Commissioner Islamabad and Islamabad Police, Inland Revenue, Kashmir Affairs and GB, Defence Division, Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Post Office Department, PM’s secretariat, Pakistan Coast Guards, Pakistan Rangers, States and Frontier Regions Division and Revenue Division.
While deferring the hearing till May 21, the bench also comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan noted that under what laws and rules these funds had not been subjected to audit.
