FIA launches crackdown against ghost colleges

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has initiated a comprehensive crackdown on fraudulent, unregistered, and ghost colleges operating nationwide in Pakistan. This action follows a complaint received by the FIA concerning the registration of ghost nursing colleges within the country.

The complaint alleges that these ghost nursing colleges are issuing counterfeit degrees to approximately 13,000 unregistered nurses each year. Furthermore, it notes a concerning gap in records, revealing that out of 229 nursing colleges and 134 dual faculty members, crucial information is missing from the relevant authorities.

Based on the records acquired to date, a total of 15 FIRs have been filed against unregistered and counterfeit nursing institutes and institutes involved in the production of fake nurses nationwide. The inquiry report has disclosed that out of the 42 accused individuals, 18 have been apprehended for their roles in generating fraudulent nurses and issuing counterfeit certificates and diplomas.

Four FIRS were registered against the PN and MC-recognised institutes, including Jehlum Collage of Nursing, Jehlum, Nowshera Collage of Nursing, Nowshera, Shahid Collage of Nursing, Charsada, and Hamdan Collage of Nursing, Sawabi.

Eight FIRs have been lodged against unregistered and ghost colleges. The educational institutions named in these FIRs include PICE College of Nursing, Sadozai Institute of Health Sciences, Professional College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Unique Institute of Sciences and Technical Education, Capital Institute of Nursing and Allied Health Science, Pearl Institute Rawalpindi, EDU Zone Institute of Knowledge, and Fatah Institute of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.

Three FIRs were registered against the fake nursing and technical councils, including the Professional Council, the National Technical and Training Council, the Skill Development Association, and the Board of Professional Education.

As a result of FIA raids and campaigns, in collaboration with the PN&MC team, the owners of 20 nursing institutes have closed their establishments and absconded, as indicated in the inquiry report.

On the other hand, the FIA team is requested to probe an alleged embezzlement of a 30-million-dollar complaint against the then-acting registrar of the Pakistan Nursing Council, Mrs Fouzia Mushtaq. The grant of 30 million dollars was awarded to the Pakistan Nursing Council by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The embezzlement of the entire fund by then acting registrar Mrs Fouzia Mushtaq was the subject of a departmental inquiry held under the direction of the then Secretary of NHSR&C Mrs Fouzia Mushtaq was found guilty of dishonesty by the departmental inquiry, which recommended her compulsory retirement.

The loss of 30 million dollars has not been investigated or probed by any agency, including the FIA, which attracts the mischief of 5(2) Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 t/w 409PPC.

The complainant raised concerns about the unauthorized approval and recognition of nursing colleges for improper motives. Mrs. Fouzia Mushtaq was accused of approving 86 nursing colleges without proper endorsement from the Pakistan Nursing Council. In response to this, an explanation was sought in October 2022, leading to her subsequent suspension from services.

She allegedly accepted illegal gratifications of Rs2 million from each nursing college, accumulating a total of Rs172 million.

The petitioner has also provided a copy of the notification, which is a promotion order for Fouzia Mushtaq in violation of 10(2) of the PNC Act 1973. Similarly, she submitted revised documents in the year 2017, showing a variation of 4 years in her date of birth; likewise, there are various other charges of misconduct, corruption, and embezzlement by Fouzia Muslitaq, Farid Ullah Shah, and Yasmeen Azad.

The report further states that during this time, PNC illegally registered 62 ghost colleges; moreover, revenue generation through examination, registration fees of nurses, and registration and recognition of colleges is not maintained under the directives of the federal government, and instead, PNC has maintained six accounts with no audit of the PNC ever in its life.

Only one audit by the Auditor General of Pakistan would reveal the loss of billions to the national exchequer.

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Fake chequebooks and demand drafts in the year 2018. It was reported that about Rs300 million had been drawn from the account of PNC on fake checks.

Though an inquiry was ordered, the responsible accused were identified, but no penal action was taken against them nor was any amount recovered from them.

The petitioner has provided enormous materials to the respondents for registration of FIR against the looters of the national institutions, but because of the support of politicians, bureaucrats, and members of parliament for such accused, respondents have been prolonging the matter of registration of FIR.