KARACHI, Jan 16: The inquiry committee on inordinate delay in pension papers of the late Prof Ghazi Khan Jakhrani has exonerated the Accountant General Sindh office and held the principal of the Jamia Millia College responsible for the delay.
It was because he took almost two-and-half years in forwarding the case to the district officer colleges Karachi. The committee, constituted in last June to conduct an inquiry into the matter of extraordinary delay in processing and finalization of pension papers of Prof Jakhrani, has reportedly finalized its report for submission to the government.
The late, Prof Jakhrani, who retired from service as assistant professor of the Education department, was found dead in his quarters along with his wife in a miserable condition. His last posting was at the Jamia Millia College in March 2000.
Prof Jakhrani, 70, and his wife, 65, were found dead on Dec 7, 2003 in their house in Gulshan-i-Akbar Malir after their neighbours complained about stench emanating from their house.
When the door was broken, their decomposed bodies were found, which, according to the doctors were 15 days old. Their deaths had occurred as a result of starvation, said the doctors.
On inquiry, it was revealed that Prof Jakhrani, after running from pillar to post for over three years to get his pension papers, lost hope, and resigned to the fate. The conditions inside his quarters as seen by people were pathetic, it was reported.
After the case was highlighted in the press, the government appointed the secretary agriculture to conduct an inquiry into the matter of inordinate delay in processing and finalization of pension papers of the late Jakhrani.
According to insiders in the report, it was stated that the pension papers were forwarded to the Accountant General Sindh on May 19, 2003 although the late professor had retired in March 2000.
In all, seven agencies including the education department, the Services and General Administration department and AG Sindh, which deal with cases of pension and final payment of the GP fund, delivered the papers to Mr Jakhrani on June 11, 2003.
He was asked for the verification of his non-gazetted service period from SOHE III Education department. According to his stepbrother, the papers were reported to have been found from the house.