Govt 'releases' Rs2bln for Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has released Rs2 billion for Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal, a welfare organization that provides financial assistance to needy individuals and families, ARY News reported citing sources.

According to sources, the funds will be used to address the backlog of thousands of pending applications for medical treatment, education, and financial assistance.

Previously, the lack of funds had resulted in over 28,000 applications being pending, including requests for medical treatment, educational scholarships, and financial assistance sources said.

Specifically, over 13,000 medical cases were pending, and the release of funds will now enable their processing.

Sources revealed that additionally, the daily wages of thousands of Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal employees, which were pending for two months, will now be paid.

The funds will be distributed to both federal and provincial offices of Pakistan Bait-ul-Maal, ensuring that assistance reaches those in need, sources added.

Earlier, a huge financial irregularities amounting to billions of rupees uncovered in Pakistan’s Bait-ul-Mal.

It was revealed that funds worth billions intended to be distributed among the underprivileged citizens of Pakistan were instead distributed among government employees.

According to a recent audit report, financial irregularities exceeding Rs 2 billion were uncovered, specifically, Rs 281 million were distributed to government employees from the Pakistan’s Bait-ul-Mal, which was earmarked for the poor citizens.

READ: Govt employees ‘receive’ millions from Pakistan’s ‘Bait-ul-Maal’

The report also highlighted the unauthorized transfer of Rs 137 billion of government funds into a commercial bank account, further worsening the financial misconduct.

Moreover, the audit report also revealed that the Bait-ul-Mal office in Lahore failed to return Rs 520 million of unutilized funds to the national exchequer, and an additional Rs 162.3 million was spent without proper authorization.