PU financial crisis deepens as JAC calls for independent forensic audit

LAHORE: The Punjab University Joint Action Committee has voiced serious concern over the university’s worsening financial position and demanded an immediate and comprehensive independent forensic audit of its financial affairs.

According to the committee, nearly Rs4.88 billion in reserve funds, accumulated over the years through financial planning and austerity, have been utilised during the past 14 months. It said the university’s budget for the financial year 2025-26 had been presented with a deficit of Rs2.57 billion.

The committee also raised questions over transparency regarding around Rs786 million in accumulated funds of various departments, which it said were transferred to the central level and spent.

It further stated that, for the first time in the university’s history, self-supporting programmes had also faced a deficit of around Rs350 million. The situation, it said, raised serious concerns about the university’s financial discipline and long-term economic sustainability.

The Joint Action Committee said the impact of the financial crisis was now being felt in the university’s core academic and research activities. It added that non-provision of research grants, travel grants and publication support was affecting research projects, while the university could also face difficulties in securing national and international research funding in future.

The committee demanded an immediate independent forensic audit of the university’s financial matters. It also called for a complete investigation into the use of reserve funds, the budget deficit, the one-account policy and the financial affairs of self-supporting programmes.

It urged the authorities to prepare a plan for the university’s long-term financial sustainability and to immediately pay pending research grants as well as financial dues of teachers and employees.

The committee also demanded that the university’s legal and financial forums be made functional so that all major financial decisions are taken in a transparent and collective manner.

The Joint Action Committee maintained that Punjab University’s financial crisis was not merely an administrative issue, but a matter linked to the future of thousands of students, research activities, the economic security of employees and the sustainability of an important national academic institution.

It called upon the Punjab government and the Chancellor of Punjab University to intervene immediately and provide a clear and effective roadmap to pull the university out of the financial crisis.

The statement was issued by Joint Action Committee Chairman Prof Sardar Asghar, President Basharat Mahmood and Convener Prof Kamran Abid.