A few dishonest bureaucrats are to blame for the entire bureaucracy’s reputation for corruption. The diligence of other bureaucrats continues to be overshadowed by the corruption of a few.
Two senior bureaucrats have reportedly been fired from their jobs in yet another case of abuse of power after being accused of stealing millions of rupees from a scholarship fund in order to join an exclusive club for Pakistan’s elites.
Details indicate that two senior bureaucrats, along with six NEST personnel, misappropriated about Rs. 25 million intended for deserving students and obtained membership in the Islamabad Club.
Athar Hussain Zaidi, Faysal Qasim, Qamar Safdar, and Quratulain Talha were proposed for membership in the Islamabad Club by the Board of Directors (BOD) of NEST in November 2021. All membership costs were supposed to be covered by NEST.
The BOD’s decision was requested in March 2022 by Manager of Administration and Human Resources (AHR) to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). When Mohiyuddin Wani was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the CFO forwarded the issue to him. Before moving to Gilgit Baltistan (GB) as Chief Secretary, he purportedly accepted the request.
In his capacity as CEO, Asim Iqbal allegedly gave the Islamabad Club Rs. 25 million. His next assignment was as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Division.
However, Mohiyuddin Wani later explained that he did not release the money for NEST officials’ memberships. When money was sent to the Islamabad Club, he wasn’t the CEO.
The Wani’s clarification sparked debate, and the Education Ministry looked further. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was requested by the Ministry to confirm the validity of Mohiyuddin Wani’s signatures.
Two senior bureaucrats and the four cops already stated were all fired. The four policemen argued before Islamabad High Court (IHC) that they were not involved in the corruption and hence should not have been fired. On January 25, the IHC will hold the following hearing in this matter.
Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry, the CEO of NEST and additional secretary of the Ministry of Education, stated that while two officials are being investigated, these four officers have received punishment.
The Ministry further mandated that Islamabad Club reimburse NEST for Rs. 25 million because the money was not released in a transparent manner.
