Dr. Haroon Rashid, the former pro-rector of Comsats Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) and CEO of National Testing Service (NTS), has been found guilty of simultaneously holding 11 positions, and embezzling millions of rupees while lying to the key stakeholders.
These shocking details surfaced in an internal inquiry report conducted by CIIT’s five-member team, formed on the directives of its Board of governors.
The report read:
Rashid has been exercising unauthorized power as pro-rector in matters relating to human resources.
Apparently, there was no protective measure in place, enabling him to commit serious irregularities while using his authority in appointments, promotions, transfers and award of financial perks and privileges.
Earlier this year, Haroon Rashid’s PhD thesis was found plagiarized and following that, he lost both his jobs as the pro-rector of CIIT and as the CEO of NTS.
“The committee recommends a detailed probe to unearth the extent of irregularities and suggest remedial measures,” the report stated.
More Than Rs. 25 Million Embezzled!
According to the recent report submitted by the auditor general of Pakistan, Rashid was also illegally appointed as the rector in December 2012. The report stated:
The post had been created specifically for Rashid [which is a clear violation of the CIIT ordinance].
Moreover, the report also revealed that after acquiring his PhD — which was later revoked by the university — Haroon drew Rs. 25.71 million, which included “financial benefits in terms of PhD allowance, enhancement of salary and other perks as pro-rector.”
The report also added:
Detailing the NTS-CIIT nexus, Rs. 227 million or more was dished out to the virtual campus by the testing service without the approval of the competent authority.
What’s shocking is that the virtual campus was not even approved by the board of directors let alone the HEC itself.
Dr. Haroon; A Con Artist
The report summed up that Dr. Haroon was an immense influence as nine other departments were reporting to him. He made a number of appointments without any approval from the concerned authorities, which adds to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.
“In some cases the recommendations of head of departments or director campuses were overruled besides gross irregularity was committed by tampering recommendations,” the report stated.
Report Conclusion
The report concluded that Haroon Rashid was not the only one who had been involved in wrongdoings, as the other identified people are still at the helm of affairs at the university.
A CIIT official, who was not named, said that the recovery of the stolen funds has begun and the concerned authorities such as Ministry of Science and Technology are also eager to join in.
Via Express Tribune
NTS Ka hai to Embezzled Kiya He Hoga : Koi Shak
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