16 ghost schools ‘unearthed’ in Khurar Buzdar
At least 16 ghost schools have been revealed in Khurar Buzdar, the native area of former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.
The Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has launched investigations in this regard. The ACE has summoned Usman Buzdar, Umar Khan Buzdar, Toor Khan Buzdar, and Shabbir Ahmed Chauhan at 10 am on April 3, while the Chief Executive Officer of the Education Department has also been summoned.
There are 14 ghost primary schools in Usman Buzdar's Khurar Buzdar area, including Government Primary School Basti Ghulam Rasool, Ghulam Mustafa, Malik Sher Muhammad, Taj Muhammad, Lal Muhammad, Abdul Rahim, Ahmed Jat, Haji Dino, Toor Khan Buzdar, Deen Muhammad Udar Khan, Hayat Mohammad, Rafiq Marin, Majia ni Khurar Buzdar, and Allah Baksh.
Apart from this, a Government Girls Middle School and a High School are also ghosts in Khurar Buzdar. The buildings of these 16 government schools are occupied by members of the Buzdar family. The anti-corruption sources said the buildings of government schools are being used as camps and residences.
The funds of all schools are being released regularly by the Punjab education department of while the teachers of all schools are receiving their salaries regularly every month. Anti-corruption sources have further revealed that all the government school teachers of Usman Buzdar's area Khurar Buzdar are relatives of Usman Buzdar, and all these teachers have the full support of the Buzdar family.
The education department has requested the complete records of ghost schools and the teachers appointed in them. Meanwhile, investigations have also been started against former provincial minister Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmed, Khyal Ahmed Castro, former MPs Muhammad Latif Nazr, Malik Umar Farooq, Shakeel Shahid by ACE.
These were started after reportedly more evidence of corruption had come out in the inquiries. Former provincial minister Hafiz Mumtaz Ahmed's disclosure of scams in public health engineering, building department, highway division.
Scams have been done on a large scale. Likewise, former provincial minister Khyal Ahmad Castro approved 151 development schemes in his constituency, and he scammed the contracts of projects in the construction of Home Economics College.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2023.