Minister denies alleged Rs10.5bn corruption in Hajj vaccines, says ministry kept in dark

ISLAMABAD: Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Tuesday rejected allegations of corruption in a Rs10.5 billion vaccine project for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, saying the government had not spent a single rupee on the initiative and Rs183.055 million was currently held in the National Database and Registration Authority’s (NADRA) account.

At the same time, he cited an inquiry report that found procedural irregularities in the procurement process, including the failure of the Border Health Services (BHS) to take the health ministry into confidence before initiating the project.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Kamal said the controversy had been fuelled by allegations circulating on social media, insisting that there was no Rs10.5 billion corruption scandal.

He said a committee formed by the prime minister to investigate the matter had completed its report, which was being presented to the media on Tuesday.

According to the findings, BHS initiated the vaccine procurement process without informing the federal health ministry or the minister.

Kamal alleged that BHS officials had kept information about the required quantity of vaccines unclear and ignored a committee constituted by the health ministry. Instead, he said, the department formed its own committee a month later and proceeded with the process.

The minister said the procurement was undertaken through a public-private partnership arrangement, rather than under the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.

He said the inquiry committee had endorsed NADRA’s involvement in the arrangement to ensure transparency and verification of financial transactions.

Under the arrangement, a private company was providing vaccines at its own expense, while payments collected from people receiving the jabs were being deposited into NADRA’s account.

The government was also supposed to receive a share from the project, he added.

Kamal said the Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A) rules should have applied to the project, but officials had wrongly invoked PPRA regulations.

The inquiry report also held the procurement committee responsible for failing to stop the process, he said.

Kamal added that the new BHS chief had subsequently forwarded the case for post-facto approval instead of halting the project.

The report also identified a director who, according to the minister, had played an active role in the matter.

 Background

The controversy emerged after allegations circulated on social media and were raised by opposition figures that BHS had awarded a contract worth Rs10.5 billion for meningitis and influenza vaccines for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, involving alleged corruption.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Qadir Khan Mandokhail had demanded Mustafa Kamal’s resignation over the alleged irregularities.

In a post on X on November 4, Mandokhail alleged that billions of rupees had been embezzled at BHS and criticised the federal government for remaining silent.

پیپلز پارٹی کے سینئر رہنما قادر مندوخیل کا وزارتِ صحت میں ساڑھے 10 ارب روپے کے مبینہ ویکسین ٹھیکہ اسکینڈل پر شدید ردعمل۔

وزارتِ صحت میں ساڑھے 10 ارب کا میگا کرپشن اسکینڈل وفاقی حکومت کی کارکردگی پر بڑا سوالیہ نشان ہے، قادر مندوخیل

ساڑھے 10 ارب روپے کے میگا اسکینڈل پر وفاقی… pic.twitter.com/mmjmdXcG1c

— Pakistan Peoples Party – PPP (@PPP_Org) November 4, 2026

He also claimed that arrests of government officials and coordinators by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) confirmed criminal wrongdoing in the matter.

Mustafa Kamal stands by demand for new provinces

Separately, the health minister said he would not abandon his support for the creation of new provinces.

He said he would continue to raise what he considered legitimate demands concerning provincial restructuring and make every possible effort to strengthen the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), adding that nobody could stop him from pursuing these objectives.