ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to recover Rs45.7 million from six absconding PhD scholars.

The Auditor General of Pakistan has pointed out in an audit report on the HEC that six PhD scholars — Khurram Nadeem, Amna Shehzad, Noshaba Batool, Saima Ashfaq Khan, Saleem Jehangir and Qamar Sultan Gohar — went abroad on the government-funded Faculty Development Programme (FDP) but never returned.

The FDP had been designed for capacity enhancement of universities selected by the HEC to encourage and reward the existing faculty for developing their teaching skills in key areas of their expertise. They were given scholarship in the disciplines of physics, applied physics, business administration, mathematics and statistics at educational institutions in Canada and the United Kingdom.

The audit report states: “During the scrutiny of records, it was observed that professors were sent abroad for PhD and fee/stipend was paid from FDP programme. The management of the university explained that the matter was referred to the National Accountability Bureau for investigation.”

HEC Executive Director Shaista Sohail informed the PAC that NAB had suggested filing legal suit against these professors in a court of law.

She said the HEC had filed a case for the recovery of the said amount from these absconding scholars and the matter was sub judice.

PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan asked the HEC to expedite the process for the recovery of the amount from these scholars.

PAC member Barjis Tahir suggested that the Federal Investigation Agency should issue their red warrants and initiate the proceedings for bringing the absconding scholars back to Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022