NA panel probes financial misconduct in NCA

Principal of National College of Arts promises to submit fact-sheet before committee

ISLAMABAD: After parliamentarians learnt about financial misconduct in the National College of Arts (NCA), a National Assembly panel has started probing charges of financial embezzlement, nepotism and misuse of power.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on the Cabinet has constituted a four-member sub-committee, headed by MNA Rana Qasim Noon of PML-N, along with Asad Umar of PTI, Mansab Dogar of PML-N and Seema Mohyuddin Jemeeli of PML-N.

The committee is mandated to probe misappropriation and financial and managerial mismanagement.



News of financial irregularities and misuse of powers emerged last year after NAB started probing NCA Lahore’s principal Murtaza Jaffri for corruption. The NAB had accused him of misuse of power and showing favouritism.

The HEC also pointed out governance issues that existed between NCA’s Lahore and Rawalpindi campuses. The Lahore campus was set up vide a presidential ordinance in 1985 while its sub-campus in Rawalpindi was established in 2005.

Issues got out of hand in both campuses because of a personal tussle between Jaffri and Rawalpindi campus’s former director Nadeem Omer Tarar. Tarar was recently removed from his post and ordered to report to the Lahore campus as the post of director was termed ‘illegal’ by a three-member committee. He had been serving since 2012.

A PTI member of the committee, Asad Umar, stated that in its last meeting at NCA’s Rawalpindi campus, committee had sought details of financial and governance issues and alleged malpractices in the NCA. “We (want) Tarar to brief us in the next meeting because he was in-charge for nearly four years – the same period during which we heard about wrongdoings,” Umar added.

He also stated that the committee would also seek details about the alleged corruption in construction of the new academic block. As many as 150 students also expressed concern over the building in a letter written to the principal: they refused to occupy the building, citing faulty construction.

A report submitted by the HEC’s inspection team stated that the building had not been built in accordance with preset rules and standards.

When contacted, the principal rejected all allegations and stated that he would submit facts before the NA committee.

In its previous meeting, the NA committee recommended that NCA should have a campus in Islamabad because it should have representation in the federal capital as well. NCA is learnt to build sub-campuses in other provinces as well.

Umar said: “NCA must not be limited to just one province.”

The recommendations of the committee will later be forwarded to the prime minister, who is the head of the Cabinet division which is the controlling authority of NCA.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2017.