ISLAMABAD - The Sub-Committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday was informed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has paid unauthorised payments of Rs 91.876 million in cash instead of crossed cheques in respects of Missions abroad. Headed by the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) MNA Noor Alam Khan, the audit officials told the committee that as per the rules the limit of cash payment in respect of Pakistan’s Missions abroad has been fixed at Rs 5,000 and payments more than 5,000 has to be made through cheque in compliance of Rule-157 of FTR Vol-1. The audit officials further informed the committee that due to the weak financial management a huge amount of payments were made in cash instead of cheques. The audit is of view that the cash payments beyond the prescribed ceiling were not allowed without the prior approval of Finance Division. The committee was further told that the matter of cash payments was brought in the notice of the management of the Missions and Ministry. The Ministry in its reply explained different reason for payments in cash, the audit officials said. As per the recommendations of Audit, the committee directed the representative of the Foreign Ministry to fix responsibility against those who permitted the unauthorised payments in cash instead of crossed cheques. Meanwhile, the Committee convener Noor Alam Khan showed his annoyance and postponed the meeting until 7 days as the audit official was not fully prepared to brief the committee on many other paras of the issue.