Scholarship fraud: Millions lost as Punjab University teachers skip contractual return

A major scandal rocked Punjab University as the institution revealed that 12 faculty members, who were awarded international scholarships worth millions of rupees, failed to return and fulfill their contractual commitments.

The university is now preparing to take legal and administrative action, including contacting the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Interior to block the Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) and passports of the individuals involved, with the aim of recovering the misappropriated funds.

According to a university spokesperson, a total of 56 faculty members had been granted overseas PhD scholarships under various programs. Of these, 12 did not return to resume their duties as stipulated in their contracts. Seven scholarships were funded by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), while the remaining five were awarded through Punjab University’s own overseas scholarship initiative.

Under the terms of the agreement, recipients were obligated to return upon completion of their studies and serve at the university for a minimum of five years. Failure to meet this requirement necessitates full reimbursement of the scholarship funds.

Among those named, Shumaila Ishaq from Hailey College of Commerce is liable for more than Rs 16.1 million; Syed Mohsin Ali from the Center for Geographical Information Systems owes over Rs 14 million; and Samia Mahmood from the Institute of Administrative Sciences is responsible for over Rs 11.6 million. Other individuals include Kiran Ayesha and Dr. Seemab Ara Farooqi (each owing over Rs 10 million), Rabia Abbas (Rs 9 million), Salman Aziz (Rs 9 million), Khawaja Khurram Khurshid (Rs 8.4 million), Dr. Muhammad Usman Rahim and Muhammad Nawaz (Rs 7.2 million each), Farah Sattar (Rs 7 million), and Javeria Iqbal (Rs 6 million).