SARGODHA: The University of Sargodha has started returning the extra fee collected from the students of its former sub-campuses in Lahore and Mandi Bahauddin that was recovered by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) through plea bargain from the owners of these campuses.

In a special ceremony held at the main campus here on Wednesday, NAB Lahore Director Mr Niaz Hassan and Vice Chancellor Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad distributed cheques worth Rs3.38 million among over 200 students of Doctor of Physiotherapy in the first phase.

In total, 6,000 students will be reimbursed the money that the managements of the two sub-campuses had charged unlawfully in excess of the approved fee of the university. The said campuses were closed down in January.

The NAB has also recovered an additional amount of Rs61 million from the owners of the two sub-campuses, who were arrested last year and released after the plea bargain. The recovered amount, including student reimbursements and university share, is Rs118 million.

Talking to the media, Mr Niaz Hassan pointed out that the main charge in the case was cheating the public. “The former vice chancellor of Sargodha university is under trial for misusing authority to establish illegal private sub-campuses, making illegal appointments, awarding tenders to his favourite contractors, and causing a huge loss to the public exchequer by manipulating university’s share,” he said.

He thanked the vice chancellor for bringing the scam into the limelight and helping the NAB in reimbursing the affected students.

LUMBERDAR’S ROLE: The Punjab government planned to eliminate the role of 45,000 lumberdar (headmen) across the province, which is likely to damage the reconciliation system in place for long.

This was stated here on Wednesday by Ghulam Raza Shah, office-bearer of Anjuman Numberdaran of Sargodha district, while talking to the media.

He said that lumberdar were not only collecting revenue, including agriculture tax, but also playing an effective role in maintaining peace in villages by resolving petty issues through panchayats. The lumberdar of Khushab and Sargodha had chalked out a strategy and decided to unite their fellows from all over Punjab to resist the move of the government, he added.

MNA Aamer Sultan Cheema and provincial minister Faisal Cheema assured the lumberdar that they will convince the government not to destabilise the lumberdar system in Punjab.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2019