ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s diplomatic missions overseas come under intense scrutiny after series of alarming audit findings exposed alleged multimillion-rupee embezzlement, suspicious bank accounts, questionable spending and more than Rs1 billion in education funds left undistributed to Pakistani students.
From Austria and Bulgaria to Germany, the US, Bangladesh and the UAE, financial controversies surrounding Pakistan’s foreign missions raised serious questions about accountability, the protection of public money and the effectiveness of government oversight.
The revelations emerged during meeting of National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Syed Naveed Qamar at Parliament House on Wednesday, November 4, as lawmakers examined audit objections involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the 2023-24 financial year.
One of key explosive disclosures concerned Pakistan’s Embassy in Austria, where an accountant allegedly exploited his position to divert Rs165.6 million into private bank accounts. According to audit officials, the money was transferred into accounts held by the employee and his wife, prompting criminal proceedings and an investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Two FIRs were registered, but the subsequent lack of progress triggered sharp criticism from PAC Chairman Naveed Qamar.
As lawmakers examined the Austrian case, another suspected financial scandal involving Rs29 million surfaced at Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Bulgaria. The committee was informed that an inquiry team had been established on September 10, 2026, to investigate the allegations. Foreign Secretary further disclosed that the employee implicated in the case had initially admitted the allegations but later challenged his removal in court.
The committee also uncovered troubling questions surrounding scholarship and educational funds intended for Pakistani students abroad. Audit officials revealed that Pakistan’s Embassy in the United States was holding more than Rs1.22 billion belonging to the Higher Education Commission (HEC), with the money remaining undistributed.
The disclosure prompted questions about why such a substantial allocation had not reached its intended beneficiaries. Foreign Secretary explained that the embassy could not release the amount without instructions from the HEC, which was responsible for identifying students eligible to receive the funds.
The amount had not been replenished, prompting objections over the use of money designated for Pakistani students. Foreign Secretary explained that overseas missions sometimes faced financial pressure and that heads of missions occasionally used available funds to meet essential operating expenses.
Another audit objection focused on more than Rs17.2 million spent from the Community Welfare Fund on the Pakistan Community Welfare School in Abu Dhabi. During the discussion, Naveed Qamar questioned the justification for financing the institution through money intended for the wider Pakistani community.
The list of financial objections extended beyond alleged embezzlement and education funds. Auditors reported that rental income earned by Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Vienna had been deposited into an unauthorised bank account. PAC directed the Ministry of Finance to complete the process necessary to regularise the account.
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