The Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a directive for the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to verify the academic degrees of all employees working in public-sector universities across the province.
The order follows the discovery that 10 employees at Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) were hired using fraudulent academic credentials.
During a meeting on Wednesday chaired by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the PAC examined audit paragraphs for DUHS from 2022 to 2025. Audit officials informed the committee that the university spends approximately Rs2.33 billion annually on employee salaries. Despite this expenditure, the administration hired staff over various periods.
DUHS Vice Chancellor Dr. Nazli Hussain told the committee that the university employs 3,500 people, of whom 2,500 are contractual. She confirmed that a verification process is underway. This process has already led to the termination of 10 employees with fake degrees. Two additional employees have been issued final show-cause notices.
PAC Tackles Pension Fraud in Local Governance
The committee also scrutinised the audit of the Larkana Municipal Corporation, where officials raised objections concerning pension disbursements. Audit officers noted that pensions were paid to retired employees without obtaining mandatory life and no-marriage certificates.
The municipal commissioner stated that while the corporation has 1,150 active employees and 150 pensioners, only 34 pensioners had submitted the required certificates to the auditors.
PAC member Taha Ahmed noted the absence of certificates from the remaining pensioners. This suggested the possibility of fraudulent payments. Chairman Khuhro questioned why the SAP-based digital system used by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was not implemented across all local councils. This system is designed to prevent fake salary and pension disbursements.
In response, the Additional Secretary of the Local Government Department informed the committee. By February or March 2026, salaries and pensions for employees of local councils in Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad would be shifted online. This would be under the SAP system.
The PAC directed that, as an immediate first step, the salaries and pensions of all municipal corporation employees across Sindh must be moved online. This should be done through the SAP digital system. This measure aims to create a transparent, accountable mechanism to prevent fraudulent payments.
