News Analysis |
On Thursday, 19th July 2018, the recently productive accountability board, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), arrested Tahir Maqbool Khakawani, a former NTS official, following the discovery of Rs.158 million corruption scam.
Apart from the allegations of corruption in the NTS, earlier the organization was charging a full fee ranging from Rs.400 to Rs.1 000 from each student and candidate who appeared in the tests.
Living a life in Pakistan, every student must have at least once, stumbled upon NTS. The National Testing Services commonly known as NTS is a non-profit organization which is responsible for the administration of numerous tests, regarding admission processes, in various educational institutions, as well as appointments in governmental organizations.
Ironically, a large number of posts in NAB have also been filled through the well-known, compulsory NTS test.
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Addressing the growing complaints against NTS, NAB chairman, retired Justice Javed Iqbal, obtained a report, compiled in an inquiry being conducted by the Rawalpindi NAB against alleged leakage of several question papers, corruption, and irregularities, etc.
This probe shows led to Tahir Khakwani, former Additional Director of the Consultants Hiring Committee, getting arrested on account of fraudulent elements unfolding within the top management of NTS.
Such corruption charges pose a grave concern as stakes are high when someone is playing intentionally with the futures of the upcoming generation.
A press release issued by NAB stated, “They are involved in maladministration and financial irregularities and have caused a loss of more than Rs.158 million to the organization.”
The National Testing Services commonly known as NTS is a non-profit organization which is responsible for the administration of numerous tests, regarding admission processes, in various educational institutions, as well as appointments in governmental organizations.
The accused Tahir Maqbool Khakawani was mentioned in this press release, with regard to his connivance with NTS chief executive officer Haroon Rashid. With mutual understanding, these accomplices added their names to the list of proprietors who recruited fake consultants through regional heads for embezzling massive amounts from NTS funds.
In an attempt to gain personal benefits, these greedy proprietors manipulated the payments of false claims of factitious consultancy through the unravelling banking system, using the disposing off method of bank cheques. The proceeds of these cheques were received in cash by the accused.
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Upon further investigation, it was learned that Khakwani, in connivance with his accomplices had indeed manipulated the payment of false claims in the name of false consultants.
This isn’t the first time that NTS has been inquired. Suspicions had been building up for quite a while, as former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, reported to the Senate, in 2015 about NTS being one of the five testing services in the country which had not paid its taxation dues for the last 3 years.
Following an audit in October 2016, by AGP, the body had rejected the audit conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan which had found, “glaring financial irregularities and misappropriations” in NTS functions.
Apart from the allegations of corruption in the NTS, earlier the organization was charging a full fee ranging from Rs.400 to Rs.1 000 from each student and candidate who appeared in the tests.
But recently the Supreme Court asked the government to direct the NTS to charge half of the total fee from the students and the rest would be paid by the relevant government organizations.