A compulsory deduction of money from over 100,000 Pakistani pilgrims every year in the name of the Pilgrimage Welfare Fund (PWF) – meant to provide them medical facilities and meet expenses of their burials in case of death in Saudi Arabia – is now being spent on snacks, soft drinks, payment of utility bills, vehicles for bureaucrats and compensation to the Saudi motorway police to settle accident rows involving Religious Ministry officials. The Auditor General of Pakistan has sent the case to the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly to look into the irregularities. The committee might take up the issue today (Friday). About Rs 7 million has already been spent on snacks, drinks and other such bills in violation of rules, which govern the fund’s spending. The Religious Ministry is seeking regularisation of this illegal use of money but the Finance Ministry has already turned down its request to settle the case by approving the illegal spending. This is not the first time that the Auditor General of Pakistan has reported the misuse of the fund to the PAC. In the past, the fund was even used to pay Haj expenses of federal ministers, MNAs and other top government authorities. A list of such beneficiaries was also presented to the committee. However, the PAC has failed to stop the fund’s misuse because Religious Ministry officials have been indifferent to its observations.
Rs 995,184 was spent on the repair of ministry vehicles and telephone, telex and fax bills from the same pilgrimage fund. The Saudi motorway police was also paid Rs 119,552 from the fund when an official of the Pakistani Haj Directorate hit a car. The Religious Affairs Ministry says that because the official who caused the accident was on official duty, the ministry paid the money in compensation to the victim.