Anti-corruption dept harassing Karachi education board staff

KARACHI: The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (Biek) has lodged a complaint with the higher authorities against the officials of Sindh Inquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment for allegedly harassing and hindering the board's official work.

In an official letter addressed to Additional Chief Secretary Universities and Boards and Sindh Chief Secretary [a copy of which is available with The News], Chairman Biek Prof Inam Ahmed alleged that Khalid Mustafa Korai, Deputy Director Sindh Inquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment, West Zone, Karachi was pressurising, threatening and misbehaving with the board officers to disturb the annual examination process at the instigation of some hidden hands.

He said during the annual examinations of board some officers of Anti-Corruption Establishment, especially DD Korai, contacted the board’s examination department and demanded sensitive record on what he claimed the basis of fake, fabricated and misleading complaints published in some ‘dummy’ newspapers.

Prof Inam further said the Anti-Corruption Establishment officers also misbehaved with the examination department staff and senior professors engaged in the examination process.

He said since 2016 the board had always cooperated with the Anti-Corruption Establishment and provided answer sheets of 55,000 students who had secured A-1 grades.

“An inquiry was conducted after the record handover but no illegal activity was found; however, the Anti-Corruption Establishment prepared a challan including the names of some officials.

Talking to this correspondent, Prof Inam said Khalid Korai had sought some information and record that was provided to him but after passage of one week he sent them two more letters seeking more record and appearance of some board officers before him on May 22. “All record was provided to him but he misbehaved, threatened and illegally detained the board officers,” added Prof Inam.

Replying to a question, he said the matter was brought into the notice of Additional Chief Secretary Universities and Boards and Sindh Chief Secretary and after getting legal opinion of lawyers the board management intended to petition the Sindh High Court [SHC] against Khalid Korai’s ‘illegal activities’.

When this correspondent reached out to Khalid Mustafa Korai, he said he was doing his official duty (inquiry) as per law. “No officer of the board is being harassed, threatened or detained illegally,” he explained.

Korai said since the inquiry was under process, no information could be shared with the media at this stage.

Director Anti-Corruption Establishment Rafiq Ahmed Qureshi told The News that an inquiry against the Biek officials was launched after print and electronic media carried dozens of news reports against the board.