Irregularities at BZU: Summary of charges against VC sent to governor

Colleagues accuse vice chancellor of corruption.

MULTAN: The Higher Education Department (HED) has sought approval from governor Salmaan Taseer to initiate action against Bahauddin Zakariya University’s (BZU) vice chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Zafarullah under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act (PEEDA) 2006.

The HED has sent a summary of the charges to the Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif which requested that the CM direct the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) to probe the corruption charges against Zafarullah. “The university has had a tumultuous year with several protests against the VC. Now he has also been accused of corruption,” HED additional secretary Muhammad Akram said.

Akram told The Express Tribune that PEEDA Act 2006 empowered the department to hold a formal inquiry against any government official if a request was filed against him or her. He said that under PEEDA the department might recommend a major or minor penalty against Zafarullah. Major penalties include removal from service.

“On recieving approval from the chancellor we will initiate a formal inquiry against Zafarullah under PEEDA. If he is found guilty then he will face a severe sentence,” Akram said. He said that if the CMIT found Zafarullah guilty of all the charges then he might face jail time under corruption charges. HED officials have repeatedly contacted Zafarullah to comment on the allegations against him but he has refused to comment on the situation and said that he enjoyed the support of the prime minister. HED officials said that the VC was retiring on January 26.

The HED has sent a summary to Punjab CM and governor Taseer bearing the details of all the allegations against Zafarullah. The first allegation is that he embezzled Rs 30.5 million in awarding a ground leveling contract. Another charge is that despite the money released from the university funds to grow grass on three grounds no grass has been planted on any ground of the university.

Zafarullah appointed nearly 104 persons who did not meet the merit guidelines Zafarullah is also accused of appointing an incompetent person, Zafar Haider Gilani as Multan College of Fine Arts principal. Haider Gilani was not eligible for the post because he had a second division in his required degree.

A group of varsity employees has started a ‘Corruption Mukao Tehreek’ in the university against the vice chancellor and provided documents in support of their claims against him to the HED. These include statements by BZU Treasurer Muhammad Younis and bank statements purportedly showing transactions running into millions of rupees.

Finally, he is accused to have quietly transferred Rs800 million from BZU funds to his private account.

Another HED official said that CMIT officials had claimed they were facing hurdles in their investigation. “All the irregular appointments by the VC may have been made on the PM’s directions,” the official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2010.