The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has referred a complaint lodged against a former director of COMSATS University’s Abbottabad campus over his alleged malpractices to the varsity’s rector for further action, stating that the subject matter does not fall within the bureau’s jurisdiction.
“The nature of the allegations leveled against COMSATS director do not fall within the ambit and purview of the National Accountability ordinance 1999”, the In-charge complaint cell at the bureau’s Peshawar office said.
The documentary evidence available with this scribe states that a complaint has been lodged against alleged massive administrative malpractices, financial embezzlement and abuse of power by the former director COMSATS had been taken up with NAB Peshawar while another complaint has been filed in the office of the K-P governor.
The in charge NAB complaint cell Peshawar has forwarded the complaint to the COMSATS rector and stated that the office thoroughly scrutinised and examined the complaint at the appropriate level but it was unable to proceed further as the complaint did not fall under its domain. Therefore, the complaint was referred to the varsity’s rector for further action accordingly.
The complaint has levelled administrative and financial charges against the former campus director Imtiaz Ali including an incident of a physical assault on a woman in May 2022 at the university’s hostel by his guests who stayed at the same guest house multiple times with his reference along with unidentified females.
Similarly, allegations of financial mismanagement include a brand-new university car, Toyota Corolla GLI, being in the use of the former director’s family at his residence in Peshawar along with the driver for the last 18 months. “He was living on the university premises by occupying a three-story faculty hostel with 13 apartments. He declared this hostel as a guest house where the current incident happened. He was living without paying any dues and expelled 10 female faculty members living in those apartments,” It read.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the COMSATS Abbottabad campus has a director House on two Kanals in the expensive area of Habibullah Colony which was renovated during his tenure with an expenditure of a whopping Rs1.6 million.
During his tenure of 18 months, he spent more than Rs20 million in the name of renovation and development without any pre or post-expense approval from the university forums. This scribe managed to get the comments of 19 senior faculty members, including professors and chairpersons of various departments, who have demanded an impartial inquiry under a high-powered committee besides a general body meeting of all the staff associations in the matter.
They expressed deep concern about the deteriorating quality of teaching and research during the last one and half years and condemned the decay in the moral values and promotion of indecent culture at the campus.
Aqeel Abbass, Manager Administration Abbottabad Campus of COMSATS University, has confirmed to this scribe that the varsity has substantial evidence available to prove what happened on that particular day in the university campus including physical assault after which the rector sent the former director on forced leave and initiated an inquiry against him. He further said that the matter was immediately reported to all the officers concerned including the rector.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2022.
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