The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has requested details of defaulters who availed PhD scholarships abroad but failed to fulfil their obligations.

The committee also directed that reasons behind the cancellation of Fulbright scholarships, despite being awarded, be submitted within a week.

The PAC meeting, chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan at the Parliament House, was attended by committee members, the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Auditor General of Pakistan, and vice-chancellors of various universities.

During the session, the audit reports for HEC’s financial year 2023-24 were reviewed.

Chairman Akbar raised concerns regarding complaints about university professors allegedly exploiting students. He criticised universities for granting professors complete authority over exam papers, grading, and assessments.

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In response, HEC officials stated that discussions were underway to improve the examination system.

The meeting also revealed irregularities in the establishment of the University of Gilgit-Baltistan. Audit officials reported that a feasibility study was not conducted before the PC-1 approval, resulting in a financial loss of Rs4.2 billion.

Additionally, three buildings were rented in violation of regulations, and their rent and staff salaries were paid using Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) funds.

Committee member Hina Rabbani Khar acknowledged that universities play a crucial role in the country’s development but stressed that salaries should not be paid from PSDP funds.

Further discussions focused on irregularities at Quaid-e-Azam University, where construction projects were initiated without approval from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

The university’s vice-chancellor admitted that multiple buildings lacked proper authorization but assured the committee that steps were being taken to resolve the issue within a week. PAC instructed CDA to expedite the resolution of all pending matters concerning the university.

Audit officials also flagged irregularities in the construction contracts for Air University in Sector H-11/2.

The lack of transparency in pre-qualification procedures led to procedural violations. Air University officials stated that a fact-finding report on the issue was still pending. PAC referred the matter back to the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) for further review.

Regarding the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), officials reported that incomplete construction projects had not resulted in contractors being blacklisted.

They explained that the matter was under litigation and that legal action had been initiated against both the contractors and the insurance company. The committee decided to defer further discussion until the legal proceedings conclude.

The meeting also addressed concerns regarding the International Islamic University, where construction projects were carried out without open tenders, violating Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.

University representatives defended their actions by stating that they followed the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) regulations. The committee referred this case back to the DAC.

Additionally, audit officials reported that changes in the design of Air University’s administration block resulted in an additional PKR 20 million in costs. University officials justified the modifications, citing consultant recommendations due to project delays. The committee closed the matter after reviewing the explanation.

A critical issue discussed was the failure of 96 students who received HEC-funded scholarships to return to Pakistan. Officials stated that 50% of the funds had been recovered, and efforts were ongoing to retrieve the remaining amount.

The PAC chairman instructed authorities to file FIRs against those who had not repaid their dues. Senator Afnan Ullah proposed publishing the names of defaulters in newspapers, particularly for those who had backed out of Fulbright scholarships. The committee mandated that a detailed report on all related actions and recommendations be submitted within two weeks.