LAHORE: The PML-N says the ruling PTI’s yet another allegation against the Shahbaz Sharif government has proved wrong in the laptop scheme.

“PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif has been exonerated of another false accusation leveled by the PTI government regarding corruption in the laptop scheme. The Higher Education Department (HED) in a report submitted to the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday says there was no embezzlement of funds in the laptop scheme,” PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Auranzeb said.

Investigation was done over allegations of massive corruption and kickbacks in the laptop scheme introduced by Shahbaz Sharif during his tenure as the chief minister Punjab.

“The HED report ruled out any misappropriation, embezzlement of funds or kickback in the scheme. The laptops were procured in accordance with the Punjab Procurement Rules 2014. It ascertained that the lowest bidder was awarded the contract for the supply of laptops for the Punjab government,” the report said.

An inquiry was launched in March 2018 by the National Accountability Bureau’s Lahore office.

The PML-N government had distributed 414,848 laptops from 2012 to 2017. These laptops were awarded to exceptional students by the government under a carefully drafted and implemented scrutiny process.

Meanwhile, Punjab Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz said the NAB was conducting an inquiry into the laptop scheme case and the HED report had been misconstrued. He said the department had not given any clean chit to the last government in the laptop scheme.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2019