The Punjab Assembly Public Accounts Committee-I (PAC-I) has decided to refer alleged financial irregularities exceeding Rs. 1.1 billion in the Higher Education Department to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for a detailed investigation.
The decision was taken during a PAC-I meeting chaired by Iftikhar Hussain Chachhar, where members reviewed audit observations concerning the higher and school education departments.
According to the committee, auditors identified several alleged irregularities, including the non-deduction of income tax on installment payments, unauthorized expansion of project scopes, the issuance of a Rs. 400 million work guarantee before project completion, and the approval of a project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Committee members expressed concern over the department’s failure to implement recommendations previously issued by the Special Departmental Accounts Committee (SDAC). They noted that the matter should have been referred for investigation at an earlier stage.
Following deliberations, PAC-I directed that four audit paragraphs involving more than Rs. 1 billion be forwarded to NAB for a comprehensive probe. The committee also instructed the bureau to submit its findings within three months.
Officials said the move is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, and oversight of public spending while ensuring the protection of taxpayer funds.
The investigation is expected to examine the audit observations in detail and determine whether any violations of financial rules, procurement procedures, or governance standards occurred during the execution of the projects.
