An official audit investigation has raised serious questions regarding the transparency and accountability of Rs75 billion in development funds released during the 2024–25 fiscal year. The Auditor General Pakistan’s (AGP) report highlights a systemic failure to document the utilization of the resources, which were meant to uplift the country’s most underdeveloped regions.
The government approved the projects under the Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Program (SAP). Through the initiative, the Cabinet Division released the Rs75 billion to various federal ministries, divisions, and provincial governments, media reports have revealed.
The program focused on improving social infrastructure, fostering human resource development, and ensuring balanced regional growth.
However, the audit findings reveal that the Cabinet Division failed to obtain mandatory monthly progress reports from the executing agencies. Furthermore, the division did not provide project completion certificates to the auditors. Because of the lack of documentation, officials could not verify if the authorities actually spent the money on the approved objectives or if the funds reached the intended areas.
The absence of project-wise and area-wise records prevents any objective assessment of whether the distribution of these billions adhered to the program’s core mandate of equitable regional development. Auditors state that they cannot confirm if the government allocated these resources in a fair manner across the provinces.
The Cabinet Division ignored repeated inquiries regarding these discrepancies. Although the audit team officially flagged the issue to the division on November 5, 2025, management provided no response before the report reached its final stage
Consequently, the Auditor General now urges the Cabinet Division to establish a centralized monitoring system to ensure rigorous oversight of SAP funds and prevent any future recurrence of such unaccounted spending.
