Three doctors from Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana, have failed to return to Pakistan after completing overseas PhDs funded through a federal Higher Education Commission scholarship program.
The matter came before the Sindh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Nisar Khuhro, during a review of the university’s audit observations for 2022 and 2023.
University officials said seven doctors were selected for overseas studies under the HEC’s PSDP scholarship project in 2016. Three did not return after completing their degrees.
Vice-Chancellor Dr. Nusrat Shah identified them as Dr. Shah Alam Solangi, who studied in China; Dr. Zafar Ali Abro, who went to Germany; and Dr. Benazir Abbasi, whose destination was listed as London/Ireland.
Audit officials questioned the lack of action against the doctors and raised concerns about the loss of public funds.
The vice-chancellor said the university had filed a court petition to recover the scholarship money, but proceedings remained pending and the doctors’ whereabouts were unknown.
She said all three had signed agreements and submitted land documents as surety before leaving. Recovery through auctioning the pledged land would be pursued after the court’s decision.
The PAC directed the university to contact immigration authorities and the relevant embassies and ensure recovery of the full amount spent on the doctors’ studies.
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