Audit Reveals Massive Irregularities in KP Tourism Projects
PESHAWAR – A recent audit has uncovered major financial irregularities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tourism sector, raising questions about accountability and project management.
The report revealed that the Tourism Corporation failed to provide records for Rs394.3 million allocated to eight separate projects. Similarly, Rs620 million released to the Tourism Authority for developmental initiatives went unspent within the stipulated timelines.
The audit also flagged Rs465 million in irregularities linked to auctions conducted by the Tourism Authority. Despite public advertisements, 28 properties could not be leased out during the 2020-21 fiscal year.
Further, the report highlighted that 4,169 kanals of land across Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan, and Swabi remain undemarcated even after several years. Tourism equipment worth over Rs30 million also remained unused. Additionally, the government reportedly suffered a loss of Rs88.6 million due to uncollected profits on Rs270 million in funds over several months.
In response to ongoing concerns about governance and financial mismanagement, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) announced plans to launch a province-wide public campaign against the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. The campaign aims to spotlight what the party describes as “corruption, mismanagement, and deteriorating law and order.”
During a working committee meeting in Peshawar, attended by JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the party called for accountability in several high-profile projects, including the Kohistan scandal, BRT project, Malam Jabba controversy, and the Billion Trees project, which it claims involved billions of rupees in corruption.
The audit findings have intensified scrutiny over the provincial government’s handling of public funds, with calls for stricter oversight and transparency growing louder.
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