Significant financial irregularities have come to light within the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), according to the Auditor General of Pakistan’s (AGP) audit report for 2024–25.
According to details surfaced on Tuesday, the report has identified audit observations amounting to Rs3.54billion and points to cases of fraud, embezzlement and procedural violations within overseas diplomatic missions.
One of the most serious findings involved a former accountant at the Pakistani embassy in Vienna, Austria, who is reported to have transferred €442,000 and US$134,291 from official accounts to personal accounts held jointly with his wife. This amount equals approximately Rs165.69 million in Pakistani currency.
According to the report, the MoFA was informed of this case in February 2024. However, as of the report’s finalisation, no inquiry report had been made public, nor had disciplinary action been taken against the individual involved.
The AGP also identified three similar cases between 2018 and 2022, resulting in further losses of Rs107million to the national exchequer. Additionally, violations were found in Rs570million worth of procurement across foreign missions. Despite existing restrictions, expensive vehicles were purchased without tenders.
One former foreign secretary reportedly retained official accommodation in a prime sector of Islamabad after retirement, prompting a recovery order amounting to Rs1.477million.
The audit further reveals that between 2013 and 2022, five overseas missions hired staff without authorisation from the Ministry of Finance. This resulted in unauthorised expenditure of Rs44.6million.
From 2018 to 2023, missions in Barcelona, Houston, Buenos Aires, Geneva and Dubai also failed to recover security deposits, according to the report.
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