ISLAMABAD: Following taking up the issue of alleged irregularities in the affairs of Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) by the Supreme Court and National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has also initiated investigation into the matter.

According to a letter of FIA available with Dawn, the agency sent a questionnaire to the management of PIFD, the institute working directly under the ministry of commerce, seeking its early reply.

The apex court held first hearing of the case in May 2018 and later NAB launched the probe against PIFD’s Vice Chancellor Hina Tayyaba Khalil following countrywide demonstrations staged by employees of the institute. She has also been accused of occupying the position for over a decade.

Institute’s management is accused of committing corruption

The PIFD offers a four-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree and was registered under the Companies Ordinance, 1984, in 2008 under the sponsorship of the Ministry of Commerce.

The petition / complaint lodged with the apex court and NAB said blue-eyed and incompetent people were inducted in the institute. The basic reason behind this irregularity is that the PIFD management wanted to get implemented its own but faulty decisions.

The FIA sought attested record regarding PC-I of the constituent colleges of PIFD and approval to open and close them, financial rules, month-wise balance sheet of income and expenses, copy of all diary and dispatch registers, recruitment record, details of salaries, procurement record of constituent colleges with specifications of purchased furniture, fixture, machinery and equipment and details of usage of assets of constituent colleges after their closure.

The investigation agency also demanded survey reports regarding market rent of all buildings hired for constituent colleges before the agreement with building owners, including agreements done with them and details of amount paid to each building owner.

It also sought complete record of appointment of treasurer and finance manager, details of recruitment of retired employees, perks and privileges given to foreigners hired for lectures, list of visiting faculty, list of students who were given admission without requisite certificates, complete details of private houses hired for hostel buildings, month-wise detail of local purchases, etc. The PIFD management has been accused of inducting retired government officials, violating the orders of the Supreme Court.

The complaints already received by NAB said that a number of colleges affiliated with PIFD have been closed and procurement of millions of rupees was made in the name of these colleges without meeting requirement of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Rules.

The PIFD management has also been accused of committing corruption and irregularities in hiring a private security firm and construction of a room at its headquarters.

According to the petitioners, a private security firm owned by a relative of Vice Chancellor Hina Tayyaba Khalil was hired ignoring some other eligible firms.

They informed the Supreme Court and NAB that household items were obtained from the PIFD’s store on fake signatures and these items were sent to the homes of top officials of the institute.

It has also been informed that despite having its own piece of lands, hostels of the institute have been opened on high rents in rented buildings.

The petitioners requested the apex court and NAB to check money trail of the top PIFD officials, including its vice chancellor, because it is feared that they had accumulated wealth beyond their known sources of income.

Merit has also been violated in appointments of blue-eyed people and they had been rewarded with foreign tours at the expense of public money.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2019