SC orders AGP to audit Sindh Textbook Board

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Auditor General of Pakistan to audit the Sindh Textbook Board, with the direction to submit a report afterward.

The appeal of the Sindh Textbook Board, challenging the verdict of the Sindh High Court regarding its forensic audit, was heard by a two-member bench of the Supreme Court --- Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial and Justice Ayesha A Malik.

During the hearing, the counsel for the Sindh Text Book Board submitted that the learned Sindh High Court had passed an illegal order. Justice Ayesha A. Malik said that the Sindh Textbook Board had a budget of Rs 2.3 billion, therefore, the Sindh High Court had ordered its audit.

“But despite the order passed by the learned high court, you have not yet conducted the audit,” the judge asked the counsel. The counsel submitted that the board had no objection to the audit but it objected to the appointment of an additional registrar to supervise the audit.

Chief Justice Umer Ata Bandial said that the biggest weakness of our country was that nobody was paying attention to education. “Your province is famous for ghost schools,” the CJP told the counsel, before asking who audits the Sindh Textbook Board.

The counsel replied that the Auditor General of Pakistan conducts the audit of the Sind Textbook Board, adding that if the court so orders, the board will present an audit of the last 20 years. At this point, the court disposed of the case and directed the Auditor General of Pakistan to conduct an audit of the Sindh Textbook Board and submit a report after its completion.