List of ‘corrupt’ education officials given to NAB

Karachi
The provincial education department has handed over a list containing the names of at least 34 “corrupt” officials allegedly involved in misusing their powers, accepting bribes and violating rules and regulations to the National Accountability Bureau, The News learnt on Saturday.
The department had already completed its own inquiries against these officials and had also served them show-cause notices on the orders of education secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho.
Though in-house inquiry against these officials had been completed and they were suspended for their actions. However, the education department hadn’t yet taken any concrete action against the officials, besides the customary departmental action, due to immense political pressure.
However, when NAB and anti-corruption department began their own investigation into the corruption on basis of their own intelligence and pursued the matter, the department found a chance to save face and offered its full cooperation with the investigation agencies.
The list of corrupt employees also includes names of former directors of schools and accounts staff. Their offences include making illegal appointments and promotions in the education department, besides embezzlement of schools’ funds for development and payment of salaries and pension.
The officials whose names are in the list handed over to NAB include Director Schools (Karachi) Wahab Abbasi, Farnaz Riaz and Neelofar Ali.
According to the findings of the inquiry conducted by the education department and shared with The News, Farnaz Riaz (BPS-19) used to hold three posts simultaneously. She served as a District Officer Elementary (Female), DO Secondary and Higher Secondary (Female) and while also holding the office of Director Schools Karachi for about 25 days.
Neelofar Ali (BPS-19) worked as a DO Secondary and Higher Secondary (Female). Another inquiry had been conducted against her during the tenure of the previous education minister, Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq, when the chief minister’s daughter Naheed Shah Durrani was the secretary of education.
However, the chief minister removed the dedicated and honest secretary education when pressured by Pir Mazhar and the inquiry report against Neelofar, who was one of the blue-eyed officials of the minister, was put in cold storage.
Others who faced departmental inquiries include Atta Ullah Bhutto and Shamsuddin Dal, both (BPS-19) who twice served as the Director Schools (Karachi). Another official Abdul Latif Mughal (BPS-19) was a head master, who later went on to hold the charge of DO Elementary (Male) and helped his son and daughter get appointed as teachers by misguiding the education department.
One more official, Abdul Jabbar Dayo (BPS-18) was found to be involved in illegal appointments while Qasim Baloch (BPS-19) is facing departmental action for issuing about 100 bogus appointment orders in different cadres without any vacancy.
Others include Mumtaz Ali Shaikh (BPS-19), Ahmed Nawaz Niazi (BPS-19), Yar Muhammad Baladi (BPS-19), Nasrullah Qureshi (BPS-19) and Syed Taj Muhammad (BPS-18).
The education secretary Dr Fazlullah Pechuho has issued directions to all sections of his department to fully cooperate with NAB and anti-corruption department so the investigation is completed in time and all the corrupt officials can face the music. He claimed that both investigating departments would have full access to education department’s records.
A senior official of the department while talking to The News on the condition of anonymity, said the education department had given enough evidence to anti-corruption department and NAB to prepare a charge sheet against the corrupt employees who are currently on suspension.
He said most of the irregularities were reported from Karachi, Sanghar, Dadu, Jacobabad and Kambar-Shahdadkot districts.
What still remains a mystery, is that the education department has not named the former education minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq — who is currently on protective bail from the Sindh High Court — in any of its investigations or departmental actions despite the fact that he was fully aware of illegal appointments, misuse of funds and powers within the department.