MANSEHRA: A former vice-principal of the Pakistan Scout Cadet College Batrasi, on Thursday said termination of the 20 faculty members and alleged embezzlement had affected the academic performance of students at the educational institution.
“Pakistan Scout Cadet College Batrasi, inaugurated by then prime minister Benazir Bhutto in 1996 and once renowned for its academic achievements, has now fallen victim to corruption and favouritism, damaging its prestige and annual results,” alleged Toqeerul Islam, the former vice-principal of the college, at a press conference.
Flanked by other faculty members and staff, sacked by Chief Commissioner Pakistan Boy Scouts Association (PBSA) Sarfaraz Qamar Daha, allegedly to induct his favourites, Toqeerul Islam said that 35 students had failed in the recent annual exams announced by the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), Islamabad.
He alleged that faculty members and principals were removed in violation of employment rules to facilitate embezzlement and accommodate “blue-eyed” boys.Toqeerul Islam said this occurred despite Governor Faisal Karim Kundi had raised the matter of alleged corruption with the Chief Scout and President Asif Ali Zardari on September 11, 2024.
“Rs20 million was fraudulently withdrawn from the United Bank Attershisha account of the college through four cheques of Rs5 million each on August 5, 2024,” he alleged.He added that another Rs1 million was illegally withdrawn from the same account through cheque.
Toqeerul Islam alleged that Rs5 million was withdrawn in the name of Scout Cadet College, Islamabad, and Rs10 million in the name of Cadet College Sharaqpur, both institutions which, he said, didn’t exist.
Another former faculty member, Mohammad Shakeel, alleged that a construction contract worth Rs80 million for the college mess was awarded without fulfilling legal formalities, and the contractor fled without completing the project.“One side of the newly built, incomplete mess is tilted due to the use of substandard materials. The assistant commissioner of Mansehra, in his report dated August 12, 2024, declared the entire tendering process illegal,” Shakeel alleged.
He alleged that the chief commissioner had also illegally acquired a laptop worth over Rs1 million, and appointed his own associate and wife to BPS-19 and BPS-18 positions with lucrative packages, again without following legal procedures. “Daha and his family members have visited around 32 countries at the expense of the PBSA, in complete violation of laws and rules,” Mohammad Shakeel said.
The former faculty members said they could provide documentary evidence to substantiate all allegations of embezzlement and irregularities.When this scribe approached the Chief Commissioner Pakistan Boy Scouts Association, Sarfaraz Qamar Daha, he said that all was going well at the college and nothing was embezzled.
“I have expelled all those on different allegations and increased financial deposits of the college from Rs300 million to 400 million,” he said.He said he had nothing to do with the withdrawal of Rs20 million through blank cheques, as the principal was responsible for it, and the case was referred to the Federal Investigation Agency for a probe.
“I have blacklisted the contractor who left the incomplete Rs80 million construction of the mess and returned the remaining amount of students who visited Spain,” Daha said.He said that he appointed a highly qualified faculty to impart quality education to students. “I have a prerogative to have a laptop as it is official property and in my use,” Daha said.
