Audit officers of inter, matric boards face suspension

PAC chairman takes action over failure of audit officers to provide audit-para records

KARACHI:

Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Sindh Assembly, has ordered the suspension of the audit officers of the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) and the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) for their failure to provide the audit-paras records.

He gave the orders during a PAC meeting held in the provincial assembly's committee room on Thursday. Khuhro presided over the meeting which was also attended by Secretary of Universities and Boards Abbas Baloch and officials from the boards.

The committee reviewed the audit-paras from the BSEK and BIEK for the period from 2012 to 2021. However, the officials were unable to provide the working papers and details of audit-paras for the 10 years. This angered the PAC chairman, who subsequently ordered the suspension of the audit officer of BIEK, Zahid Ali Lakho, and the audit officer of BSEK, Syed Shaiq Ali.

Khuhro asked the universities and boards secretary about the absence of the BIEK chairman from the PAC meeting. The secretary said that Nasim Ahmed Memon has been removed by the Sindh High Court over a harassment case, while his replacement cannot be hired due to a SHC stay order.

A working paper presented during the meeting revealed that 11 Grade 2-5 employees, including naib qasids, gardeners, watchmen, and drivers, recruited in the BIEK, had been illegally promoted to post of junior clerk. The report also disclosed that an amount of Rs13.393 million was spent on these illegal promotions.