QUETTA: Balochistan National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference against secretary Workers Welfare Board (WWB) and other officials over alleged massive misappropriation in reserved scholarship grant for labourers’ children.
The accused awarded the scholarships reserved for the unprivileged children of workers to undeserved people depriving them of their due rights.
“The secretary Workers Welfare Board, in complicity with officials of the board, purportedly embezzled scholarship grant worth Rs9.236 million for the sons and daughters of labourers reregistered with Employees Old-Age Benefit Institute and Balochistan Employees Social Security Association,” revealed the Bureau in a press release.
The Bureau’s initial investigation into the matter found that the officials awarded the grant worth Rs92,36,859 rupees among those who had not only counterfeit registration cards of Employees’ Old-Age Benefit Institution and Balochistan Employees’ Social Security Association, but it was also detected that the documents they submitted for the funds through the convenience of those institutes were also fake.
Following preliminary probe, the NAB apprehended WWB Deputy Director Sirajuddin, the main accused in embezzlement of official funds, and sent him to judicial lockup. The accused was later released on bail.
Finalising the probe into misuse of students’ funds, the bureau filed a reference against WWB secretary, chairman scrutiny committee Ataullah Jogezai, director finance WWB Gul Zaman, deputy director Sirajuddin and others in accountability court for embezzling scholarship grant earmarked for the sons of labourers.
Balochistan NAB DG Ifran Naeem Mangi, reiterating his unflinching resolve to wipe out corruption, said no one will be allowed to pilfer the rights of labourers’ sons and the Bureau will mobilize all its capabilities to cleanse this menace from the province.
