Peshawar: An audit report for the fiscal year 2025 has uncovered serious irregularities in the distribution of Zakat funds in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, revealing that both serving and retired government employees received financial assistance meant for the needy.
The report disclosed that Zakat funds were distributed among government employees from grades 1 to 17. The audit found that even retired govt employees remained the major beneficiaries of provincial zakat funds.
The report stated that a total of 419 employees collectively received over Rs5.3 million from the Zakat fund. Among them, 15 employees received Rs30,000 each, while 404 employees were given Rs12,000 each.
It further revealed that even officers in higher grades were among the beneficiaries, including 2 employees in Grade 17, 2 in Grade 16, and 13 in Grade 15. The audit clarified that both serving and retired employees were not eligible for subsistence allowance under Zakat rules.
The Auditor General has directed authorities to recover all misused funds from the employees and to take strict action against members of Zakat committees involved in the irregularities.
Additionally, the report highlighted unlawful inclusion of government employees in district and local Zakat committees, which is a violation of the Zakat Act.
It also revealed that Rs19.7 million were distributed as subsistence allowance to ineligible individuals, while irregularities worth Rs42 million were found in marriage grants. Furthermore, 111 government employees received allowances amounting to Rs19.5 million while serving as committee members.
The findings raise serious concerns over transparency and governance in the management of public welfare funds.
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