Islamabad: The Senate Functional Committee on Devolution, chaired by Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur, met at the Parliament House to scrutinize audit reports concerning Federal Education, Professional Training, and National Health Services. The meeting revealed substantial gaps in the handling of audit objections, underscoring a systemic issue in implementing corrective actions.
According to Senate of Pakistan, the detailed discussion at the committee highlighted concerns over the large number of unresolved audit paras. The audit department officials reported that of the 1,131 audit paras related to Federal Education, Professional Training, National Heritage, and Culture from 2010 to 2024, only 271 have been reviewed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), with 98 settled and 860 still pending. The situation was similar in other departments, including National Health Services, where out of 327 audit paras, 98 were examined, 29 settled, and 229 remain unresolved.
The committee, attended by Senators Poonjo Mal Bheel, Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, Sardar Al Haj Muhammad Umer Gorgaij, and Fawzia Arshad, called for stricter adherence to the 18th amendment to ensure accountability and transparency in handling audit objections. The chairperson, Dr. Zarqa, emphasized the need for a change in approach to achieve different outcomes in audit compliance.
Participants, including senior officials from the Auditor General of Pakistan and the ministries of Food Security and Research and Industry and Production, also expressed their frustration over the absence of secretaries from the concerned ministries, which they believed hindered effective resolution of ongoing issues.