SALU denies any misappropriation in varsity

SUKKUR: The spokesperson of Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur. has denied the news item that appeared in ‘The News’ Karachi on Monday unveiling the alleged corruption in the varsity. The spokesman has rejected the news item appeared with the headline of ‘Saga of alleged corruption in SALU, Khairpur’ on Monday regarding alleged transfer of Rs2 million into a secret account of Syed Adeel Shah, son the incumbent vice-chancellor of SALU Dr Parveen Shah. He has clarified that ‘Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Park’ remained closed for the last five months due to Covid-19 lockdown and it is out of proportion that the earning of the park may reach up to Rs2 million during the closure of the park.

The spokesman added that the university had adopted an open policy to tender its projects through a committee, which comprised the representatives of the university, district administration and notable residents of Khairpur. He said the amount received from the tender was transferred to account title ‘Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Park’ and not in any personal account of anyone. The tender was finalised in the month of June 2019, while the staff’s salaries and maintenance and development works of the park were done from this account.

Meanwhile, the spokesman has also denied that an amount of Rs5 million was allocated to Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) and was allegedly misappropriated, saying that the amount was not released to CBC, then there is no question of misappropriation. He also clarified that there is a Technical and Monitoring Committee to oversee all affairs of the CBC. The spokesperson has also denied the allegation that major chunk of the amount of Ehsaas Scholarship Program was transferred for the payment of employees’ salaries, adding that 1,028 students had received their cheques from the focal person of Ehsaas Scholarship Program last week.

Imtiaz Hussain adds: The-then director CBC Mumtaz Saand had written a letter to the administration of the SALU for transferring the released amount by the HEC to CBC as it was purely for the CBC’s development but the then university administration did not transfer the fund to CBC. Besides this, when the spokesman was asked about the five years’ earning of ‘Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Park’ and its expenses, instead of answering, he reacted harshly, and when he was asked for appointment of a retired employee of the university to look after all the financial affairs of the park in presence of the director CBC, he could not justify his stance.

The sources said an emergency meeting of the executive council of SALUTA was held on June 07, 2020, and it decided to approach concerned investigation agencies, including NAB, FIA and accountant general of Sindh for audit of the financial records of the university. The sources also informed that the FIA Sukkur has already initiated an investigation of the alleged scam, and approached to the university administration for the records.

Though, the university administration had initially refused to provide any record to the FIA but agreed to handover when the FIA authorities had threaten them to collect through a proper raid in the university. Meanwhile, the sources said the university administration was pressurising an assistant professor Dr Ishrat Mirani, a member of the Syndicate of the SALU Khairpur, to withdraw his application, in which he requested the FIA to investigate the mega corruption scandal.

Advocate Fayaz Hussain Khamisani, on behalf of Voice of Khairpur, had filed a constitutional petition in Sindh High Court circuit bench Sukkur, in which he maintained that the vice-chancellor of SALU Khairpur was involved in malpractices, corruption, illegal promotions and appointments. He also informed the court that the PPP-led Sindh government may extend the incumbent vice-chancellor’s tenure. The SHC Sukkur had admitted the petition and had issued summons to the concerned parties for August 11 hearing.