3 Pakistanis Fail to Come Back After Completing PhD on HEC Scholarship

Three medical doctors, all alumni of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University in Larkana, Pakistan, have failed to return home after completing their doctoral degrees abroad on scholarships provided by the federal Higher Education Commission (HEC). The issue was brought before the Sindh Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), led by Nisar Khuhro, during an audit review of the university's 2022 and 2023 financial records.

Seven doctors had been chosen to undertake overseas studies under the HEC's PSDP scholarship program in 2016, but only three failed to return to Pakistan. The names of the missing doctors are Dr. Shah Alam Solangi, who pursued his PhD in China, Dr. Zafar Ali Abro who completed his degree in Germany, and Dr. Benazir Abbasi, whose doctoral studies were to be conducted in either London or Ireland.

The university's Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Nusrat Shah, revealed that the three scholars had signed agreements and provided land documents as collateral prior to departing. She further stated that the university has initiated a court petition to recover the scholarship funds, but the legal process has yet to conclude, leaving the scholars' current locations undisclosed.

The university aims to auction the pledged land to recover the funds once the court's ruling is finalized. The PAC has instructed the university to reach out to immigration authorities and the respective embassies to expedite the recovery process.