ISLAMABAD – Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that a mega scandal involving embezzlement of Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) funds has been uncovered and assured that he would personally pursue the matter.
He made the remarks while responding to a question raised by Senator Sarmad Ali during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting, chaired by Senator Ali Zafar. The meeting was also attended by Senators Irfan Siddiqui, Pervaiz Rasheed, Jan Muhammad Bulaidi, and Syed Waqar Mehdi, along with Information Secretary Ambreen Jan, Additional Secretary Ashfaq Khalil, and other ministry officials.
Senator Sarmad Ali highlighted that Rs 1.23 billion had been misappropriated from the Employees Resource Centre (ERC) and Provident Fund (PF) of APP over several years (2019–2024) through a well-organised network of more than six employees. He said strong evidence including bank statements, audit reports and financial documents was already available, yet the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had not registered a case even after nearly a year which showed serious delays in addressing the high-profile financial scandal.
Responding to the senator’s concerns, Minister Attaullah Tarar said that APP’s Managing Director Muhammad Asim Khichi had brought the mega scandal to light, and assured the committee that he would personally ensure the matter is taken forward.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi termed the revelations of large-scale corruption in APP funds alarming. He said he would raise the issue on the Senate floor and expressed surprise that the FIA had not yet registered an FIR despite clear proof of wrongdoing.
