Punjab University teachers flee with PhD scholarships worth Rs320mln: report

University of the Punjab, one of oldest and largest public varsity in Pakistanis, is facing major scandal with dozen teachers vanish after receiving scholarship funds worth hundreds of millions.

As per available information, scholars were bound to return and serve at the university for at least five years, have failed to fulfill their obligations.

The issue came to light after PU authorities discovered that these individuals had not returned to resume duties post-completion of docterate.

PU issued scholarships to enhance higher education and academic standards. These teachers were part of batch of 56 faculty members granted funding for foreign doctorate programs.

The university started formal action, and is working with Foreign Office and Ministry of Interior to block the passports of the defaulters.

Punjab University has also approached the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to pursue legal action and recover the outstanding dues.

Authorities have emphasized the need for stricter monitoring of scholarship recipients, calling for reforms in how grants are awarded, tracked, and enforced to avoid future exploitation of public resources.