Atta Tarar vows action as Rs1.24bn corruption scam surfaces in APP

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has said that he would personally follow up on the Rs1.24 billion embezzlement case involving funds at the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).

He said this during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting held on Wednesday in respond to a question raised by Senator Sarmad Ali, who asked why an FIR had not been lodged even more than 10 months after the exposure of the Rs1.24 billion scam.

Tarar said APP Managing Director Muhammad Asim Khichi had uncovered a major scam involving misappropriation of Rs1.24 billion in provident fund (PF) and employee-related expenses (ERE) in the state-run organisation.

He assured the meeting chaired by Senator Barrister Ali Zafar that he would pursue the case for registration of an FIR against those responsible.

It was further told to the committee that the amount involved in the mega corruption scam had also been endorsed in the commercial audit reports for 2023–24 and 2025–26.

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The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also issued directives to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for initiating legal action to recover the embezzled funds.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi said he would raise the matter in the Senate.

He said the delay in registering the case was concerning, especially when the APP administration had already submitted documentary evidence to the FIA.

Senators Irfan Siddiqui, Pervaiz Rashid, Jan Mohammad Belaidi, Syed Waqar Mehdi and senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, including Secretary Ambreen Jan and Additional Secretary Ashfaq Khalil also attended the meeting.