KARACHI: In the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly, expressing indignation over the non-provision of audit records by the officials of the Intermediate and Matriculation Boards, orders have been issued to suspend the audit officers of the two boards.
The meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly was held in the committee room of the Sindh Assembly under the chairmanship of Chairman Nisar Ahmad Khoro, where the officers of the boards including Secretary Universities and Boards Abbas Baloch participated and conducted the 10-year audit of the Inter and Matriculation Board from 2012 to 2021. When the meeting started to review the Inter and Matric Board officers could not provide the working papers of last 10 years audit paragraphs and details of audit paragraphs to PAC.
The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee expressed his displeasure on the part of Inter and Matric Board officials for not submitting the working papers of audit paras for the last 10 years and for the incompleteness of the working papers of audit paras and not providing the working papers of audit paras. Board’s Audit Officer Zahid Ali Lakho and Matriculation Board’s Audit Officer Syed Shaikh Ali were issued suspension orders.
Nisar Khoro said that negligence on the part of the officers in not providing the working papers of the audit paras will not be tolerated and asked the Secretary Universities and Boards Abbas Baloch why the inter board chairman has not come to the PAC meeting. He said that Naseem Memon has been removed by the High Court in the harassment case and the reason for the stay of the High Court is that the search committee cannot recruit new chairman of the education boards and if the stay order of the court ends, the new chairman of the board will be recruited.
Chairman PAC said that not submitting the working papers of audit paras falls under the category of negligence, however Chairman PAC Nisar Khoro directed the inter and matric board officials to bring all the working papers of audit paras in the next meeting. .
In a working paper presented in the meeting, 11 employees, including deputy messengers, financial, watchmen and drivers recruited from grade two to grade 5, were given illegal promotion to become junior clerks and the inter board got illegal promotion. 13.393 million rupees has also been revealed to be spent on 11 employees.
In the working paper of the Matriculation Board in the PAC meeting, it has also been revealed that a retired officer of grade 18 was re-recruited on the post of director of education research of grade 19 in a special case on a one-year contract in 2010, the retired officer. 23 lakh rupees has also been released to him as a salary by recruiting him in the 19th grade on a one-year contract.
As the working papers were not completed in the meeting, the consideration of the audit paragraphs of Inter and Matriculation Board was postponed till the next meeting.
Chairman PAC Nisar Khoro said that the government of Sindh is providing funds to the education boards, then the education boards will also have to account for the amount spent. Spend for and Irregularities and corruption of public tax money will not be tolerated.
In the meeting of the committee, during the review of the audit paras of Karachi University, the chairman committee expressed his displeasure over the non-provided record of the audit paras related to the Shaheed Ms. Benazir Bhutto Chair established in Karachi University and the chairman committee inquired from the vice chancellor of Karachi University. If the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chair is established in Karachi University, then who will provide the audit para record regarding the chair?
Vice Chancellor Karachi University Khalid Iraqi said that the administrative control of the Benazir Bhutto Chair established in the university is with Karachi University, but the financial control is not with the university. and is not funded by the university.
Nisar Khoro said that the Sindh government is funding the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chair of Karachi University, then the chair administration will have to provide the audit para record.
On this occasion, the PAC Chairman directed the Director of Karachi University and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chair to provide the records of audit paras in the next meeting and the audit paras of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chair was postponed till the next meeting.
