PEIRA chairperson paid Rs21.8m against Rs3.66m package, audit finds

Islamabad: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been informed that irregular payments and excess allowances worth Rs34.915 million in the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) are under recovery, while only Rs0.5 million has so far been recovered in installments.

The matter involves former PEIRA Chairperson Dr. Samina Rizvi, who has since been transferred to another government department, concerning audit observations regarding alleged excess salary and allowances. The 47th meeting of the Public Accounts Committee was held under the acting chairmanship of Syed Naveed Qamar. During the meeting, audit para 10.5.9 regarding the recovery of irregular payments to the PEIRA Chairperson was reviewed.

According to audit findings, Dr. Samina Rizvi was appointed Chairperson of PEIRA on 29 March 2023, in the MP-II scale. Audit stated that instead of the approved MP-II pay package of around Rs3.66 million, she received payments amounting to approximately Rs21.8 million, resulting in an alleged excess payment of about Rs18.18 million.

Officials informed the committee that the recoverable amount for the 2023–24 fiscal year has been assessed at Rs12.961 million, and recovery has started at a rate of Rs500,000 per month. Members were informed that the first recoveries began after the April 2026 DAC decision, where payments were adjusted in subsequent months. One month’s recovery was skipped and later adjusted.

The committee expressed concern over the slow recovery process and recommended recovering the amount through a formal mechanism via AGPR, especially since Dr. Samina Rizvi is now serving in another department. Members suggested that recovery should be directly deducted from salary instead of informal installment arrangements, to ensure transparency and accountability.

The PAC also directed that recovery rates should increase to at least Rs100,000 per month in cases involving PEIRA members. In a related audit para 10.5.10, irregular payments of Rs16.735 million were also reported involving two PEIRA members who were part of internal approval decisions for enhanced allowances.

Audit observed that on 26 February 2024, PEIRA leadership approved increased salary benefits for themselves, including house rent allowance, medical allowance, honoraria, leave encashment and Eid allowance, which were not authorized under federal rules. Audit findings stated that these benefits were approved using FBISE pay scale benchmarks without federal government approval.

The recoverable amounts identified include Rs3.333 million from one member and Rs2.996 million from another for the 2023–24 fiscal year. The committee decided to club both paras and directed the Principal Accounting Officer to ensure complete recovery and examine legal options where necessary. Overall PEIRA related audit observations stand at Rs34.915 million, including excess salary and allowance payments.