NAB raids KU second time this month

Karachi

Officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) were on Thursday reported to have conducted a second raid at the University of Karachi (KU), in the month of June.

The officers were claimed to have entered the university premises at around 9:30am and remained inside the campus till 2:30 in the afternoon.

On June 14, NAB’s team had seized various documents from the administration building of the varsity in connection with an inquiry investigating sitting KU vice chancellor, Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser, as well as former VC Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim, against charges of corruption.

The cases being investigated included issuing of illegal NOCs to private parties to run a petrol pump, bank and construction of a building on the university’s land.

According to NAB, the corruption had caused a loss of approximately Rs566 million to the national exchequer.

During the first raid statements of KU registrar, Dr Moazzam Ali Khan and officials of the human resource, administration and procurement departments, were also recorded.

Reports of the first raid were denied by the official spokesperson of the varsity; however, an investigation officer of the NAB had claimed that all relevant records had been seized from the VC’s office.

He had also given a heads up for more raids, ‘since the NAB was going to hold a comprehensive investigation’ over the complaints received. The NAB official had observed that complaints were received against 'illegal appointments' and ‘financial irregularities’ at the varsity.

The inquiry was started on May 4 after Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, the investigation bureau’s chairman, gave a go ahead following a meeting of the NAB’s board in Islamabad.

The News made several attempts to contact KU VC Prof Dr Qaiser, Registrar Prof Dr Moazam Ali Khan and KU campus advisor and in-charge security affairs Prof Dr Khalid Iraqi for comments but none were available.