Audit Report Reveals Rs 1.48 Billion Financial Irregularities in Balochistan Textbook Board

Balochistan:A recent audit report by the Balochistan government has uncovered financial irregularities and suspicious expenditures amounting to Rs 1.48 billion in the Balochistan Textbook Board. These irregularities were flagged during a five-year special audit of the department.

The report highlights the printing of unnecessary and suspicious books worth Rs 116.4 million, with additional financial irregularities amounting to Rs 539 million in paper procurement and printing costs. The report also reveals that contractors were given an unlawful benefit of Rs 238.5 million.

According to sources in the Department of Finance, Rs 110 million was unjustly paid for the rental of a building used as a store, and a significant waste of Rs 210 million was incurred in license fees. Furthermore, failure to deduct government taxes resulted in a loss of Rs 272.3 million to the public exchequer.

This is not the first instance of financial irregularities in Balochistan, as previous audit reports have also revealed large-scale corruption. Analysts believe that high-ranking government officials in Balochistan have been repeatedly implicated in such irregularities, but no one has been held accountable, allowing corruption to persist in the province.

Corruption cases in Balochistan have also included instances where large sums of cash, running into billions of rupees, were found hidden in tanks and rooms belonging to senior officials. Experts warn that if these financial irregularities are not curbed and strict actions are not taken against corrupt elements, the issue will only escalate, further weakening the societal and governmental structures.