The Senate has referred a matter involving former finance minister Miftah Ismail to the relevant standing committee following allegations of conflict of interest in a major contract related to the Benazir Nashonuma Programme.
The accusations include awarding the contract to his own company without following the mandatory Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.
During a Senate session, Senator Tariq Fazal Chaudhry revealed that Rs97 billion was disbursed under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme through a company owned by Miftah Ismail.
He claimed there was no competitive bidding process, which is required under PPRA regulations, and that no action was taken against the irregularity at the time.
Budget figures shared in the session showed the programme’s allocation increased significantly over four years:
- Rs2.098 billion in 2020-21
- Rs4.870 billion in 2021-22
- Rs26.660 billion in 2022-23
- Rs34.670 billion in 2023-24
Senator Dinesh Kumar questioned why no action was taken earlier if Ismail’s company was operating non-transparently. Senator Anusha Rahman added that the case involved a clear conflict of interest and suggested it fell under the jurisdiction of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Presiding Officer Senator Irfan Siddiqui concluded the discussion by referring the matter to the Senate’s standing committee for further investigation.
