News Desk
QUETTA: A major audit revelation has raised questions about overseas scholarship management at the Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), as only 12 out of 63 faculty members who received foreign PhD scholarships returned to Pakistan and resumed their duties.
The disclosure was made during a meeting of the Balochistan Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by MPA Asghar Tareen. BUITEMS Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Hafeez and other university officials attended the meeting.
According to the audit report, violations of scholarship agreements resulted in a financial objection exceeding Rs118.5 million, raising concerns about the utilisation of public funds allocated for higher education and faculty development.
Audit officials informed the committee that action could be taken against faculty members who breached their scholarship agreements, including cancellation of scholarships, recovery of the awarded amounts and a 25 per cent penalty under applicable contractual provisions.
However, BUITEMS administration informed the committee that recovery of bond amounts from absent scholarship recipients was underway through instalment-based payments.
The PAC also examined another audit objection involving Rs3.604 million in excess payments under additional charge allowances. According to the report, the university made payments beyond the prescribed limits between 2019 and 2021.
Chairman Asghar Tareen stressed that financial discipline, transparency and protection of public resources must remain priorities for government institutions.
The findings have raised broader concerns about scholarship bond enforcement, overseas PhD programmes, university financial accountability and the management of public funds in Balochistan’s higher education sector.
