Thousands of Pension Records Missing in Sindh, Rs 4 Billion Scam Uncovered
PAC disclosed that Sindh’s 308,000 pensioners have gone missing, raising fears of payments to suspicious beneficiaries
By Nazir Siyal
KARACHI: Startling revelations emerged during a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting chaired by Nisar Khuhro on Friday, as it was disclosed that thousands of pension files belonging to Sindh’s 308,000 pensioners have gone missing, raising fears of payments to suspicious beneficiaries.
The PAC ordered all provincial departments to submit pensioners’ records to district accounts offices within one month, warning that IDs of unverified pensioners would be blocked. Audit officials further revealed that payments were being made against invalid CNICs, with no supporting documents provided.
Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi admitted that many cases date back to family pensions where deceased pensioners’ old 9-digit CNICs were still in the SAP payroll system, as they could not be updated.
He confirmed that most missing records belong to retired education department staff and said letters have been issued to departments to locate files.
The committee also reviewed massive irregularities, including a Rs 400 million pension scam across nine districts in 2021, involving 16 finance department employees and three AG Sindh staff. Fake IDs were created to siphon funds, leading to the dismissal of those involved. In Nowshero Feroze, 6,000 pension files were missing, while some pensioners received duplicate payments.
To ensure transparency, Jatoi said the pension system is being shifted to Raast and micro-payment technology.
PAC members urged linking the payroll system with NADRA’s Family Registration Certificate (FRC) to verify rightful heirs.
