National Assembly Sends Back Audit Reports to AGP Over Procedure Violations

The National Assembly has formally returned all 2024-25 audit reports prepared by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) after finding serious procedural violations in how the documents were handled and circulated.

The move follows the discovery that the reports were not routed through the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and were uploaded publicly before being laid in parliament. The Assembly described the early publication as a contempt of the House.

National Assembly audit reports are at the centre of a widening dispute that began when the AGP report named alleged irregularities in several high-profile sectors. The executive summary included an unprecedented figure of Rs 375,000 billion in irregularities for FY2023-24. That number is 27 times the federal budget of Rs 14.5 trillion and far exceeds Pakistan’s GDP. The size of the figure has prompted immediate calls for a review of the audit methodology.

The controversy has direct consequences for the telecom sector. The AGP summary singled out Zong in a Rs 53.54bn spectrum case and cited concerns involving Jazz, PTCL, and SCO.

Earlier, the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom examined a separate audit finding on Jazz and the recovery of more than Rs 6 billion in alleged overcharges. Audit officials told the committee that records of PTA tariff approvals in the Jazz case were not provided and that outdated documents were supplied instead, prompting lawmakers to demand full and updated approvals in the next meeting.

Committee members also highlighted specific billing discrepancies flagged by the audit. The review noted popular bundles billed above PTA approved rates, including a Rs 2.12 billion excess linked to a social media bundle, and senators criticised both service quality and regulatory gaps.

The PTA later said it had shared responses with auditors and that verification was under way while Jazz maintained that tariff changes had PTA backing.

Parliamentary officials said the procedural breaches now undermine confidence in the audit findings and that sector regulators and companies named in the reports expect urgent clarification.

A National Assembly Secretariat spokesman said the reports were returned on two grounds. He said the documents bypassed the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and that they were made public before formal presentation in the House. He said, “Publication before laying is a contempt of the National Assembly.” The spokesman added that the Secretariat will accept corrected reports only after the AGP follows the required procedures.

The AGP office has defended its process and said copies were forwarded to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the parliamentary secretariats. An AGP spokesman acknowledged that amounts were itemised this year for ease of reference, but did not explain why the reports appeared online prior to formal laying.

Parliamentary leaders and oversight committees have demanded an immediate technical review of the Rs 375,000 billion figure and a full explanation of the chain of custody for the audit documents.

The Assembly has asked the AGP to correct procedural lapses and to resubmit validated reports before any debate or action on the findings.