Karachi, Hyderabad board chiefs quit over probe findings

KARACHI / HYDERABAD: The chairmen of the Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) and the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Hyderabad have resigned from their posts, according to details that emerged on Tuesday.

Ghulam Hussain Soho, who headed the Karachi board, stepped down after learning that a probe committee constituted by Sindh Minister for Universities and Boards Mohammad Ismail Rahoo had recommended his suspension. According to the findings cited in the report, the committee completed its inquiry and said the BSEK administrator had changed 170 examination centres during the ongoing matric examinations, leading it to recommend that the chairman be suspended.

Mr Soho stated in his resignation that he had attempted to reform the Karachi board. He said these efforts included full automation of the system, online payments, a grievance redressal mechanism and training for examination staff. He maintained that these steps were not accepted by board employees, who, he said, did not allow improvements in the institution’s functioning.

In Hyderabad, Prof Dr Shuja Ahmed Mahesar also tendered his resignation after objecting to the manner in which he was first suspended and later restored to office with a warning of possible removal. Prof Mahesar, a researcher who had been serving as head of Sindh University’s Pakistan Studies Centre, was selected by the Sindh government’s search committee in July for a three-year term.

He was suspended in December 2025 over delays in the announcement of the 2025 results for classes IX and XI. There were strong suspicions that other officials linked to the controller of examinations office were responsible for the delay, but no action was taken against them.

Prof Mahesar was reinstated on April 1, 2026, through an order issued by the Universities and Boards secretary carrying a warning that further lapse, negligence, or failure on the part of chairman shall entail strict action including removal from service, in accordance with law and rules.

Speaking after submitting his resignation to the Universities and Boards Department on Tuesday, Prof Mahesar said, "How can I perform with warning in reinstatement notification that threatens removal from service in case of any lapse? I am a professor with a rich academic background and will rejoin Sindh University. It is tantamount to eroding the chairman’s authority given the mess BISE still faces despite my efforts. Still, I tried my best to bring some changes."

His resignation had not been accepted as of Tuesday.

Committee observations on Hyderabad board

The committee that had recommended Prof Mahesar’s suspension was formed on Dec 19, 2025, and was headed by Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Marri. In its observations, six chairmen had been changed at the Hyderabad board between May 2023 and Dec 2025.

The committee said the main cause of delays and possible corruption at the board was an incompetent IT section that created room for outsourcing the critical task of result compilation. It further observed that the entire IT section and services are outsourced but payments are not made or delayed only to affect progress.

It also stated that employees’ unions and undue political influence had become a centre of anomalies, irregularities, malpractices and expected fraud. The committee recommended issuance of a displeasure note to officers of the examination section, directing them to improve their performance and act professionally.

It also recommended seeking explanations from the BISE secretary, former secretary, store in-charge and purchase officer over delays in payments to invigilators, examiners, vendors and service providers. In addition, the deputy secretary (establishment) and the team should be reviewed immediately and that capable and competent people of integrity should be posted in that section.