The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday expressed deep displeasure over the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) failure to make significant progress in a six-year-old investigation into the alleged embezzlement of Rs165.6 million from Pakistan's embassy in Austria, summoning the agency's director general to the next meeting.
The committee directed the foreign secretary to conduct a fresh inquiry and submit a report within 30 days following discrepancies between figures provided by audit authorities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Chaired by Acting Chairman Syed Naveed Qamar, the PAC reviewed audit objections concerning the Foreign Office, uncovering billions of rupees in financial irregularities.
Audit officials informed the committee that Salman Qureshi, a former embassy accountant in Austria, allegedly transferred Rs165.6 million to personal bank accounts belonging to him and his wife. The FIA subsequently registered two FIRs and arrested the accused, who later secured post-arrest bail.
A challan in the anti-money laundering case has also recently been submitted. Expressing profound dissatisfaction, Naveed Qamar remarked that six years had elapsed without tangible progress, terming the agency's performance extremely disappointing.
"It appears that the FIA only focuses on political cases," he observed. Committee members Rana Qasim Noon and Shazia Marri also pressed for accountability, stressing that misappropriated national funds must serve as a deterrent example.
The Auditor General noted that accounting is a specialized profession requiring trained personnel, observing that financial losses of such magnitude could not stem from an assistant alone. The committee subsequently instructed the Foreign Office to appoint qualified accountants at all foreign missions.
Additionally, the forum took up the unauthorized loan of 360,000 euros - valued at over Rs100 million - withdrawn from the Higher Education Commission's (HEC) account by Pakistan's embassy in Berlin, which remains unpaid after more than three years. The committee members underscored that financial discipline is paramount in all diplomatic missions to protect national exchequer funds from pilferage.
They maintained that strict internal audits must be conducted regularly. Furthermore, the PAC warned that persistent delays in resolving corruption and embezzlement cases erode public trust in anti-corruption institutions.
The forum demanded comprehensive compliance reports on all pending foreign mission audit paras in upcoming sessions.