Three doctors from Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU) in Larkana have failed to return to Pakistan after completing their overseas doctoral studies funded by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
Non-Return of Scholarship Beneficiaries
The faculty members were sent to foreign institutions to pursue doctoral degrees under an HEC-funded scholarship framework designed to enhance local institutional capacity and develop academic faculty. Under standard scholarship agreements, scholars sent abroad on public funding are bound by contracts requiring them to return and serve their parent universities in Pakistan upon completing their degrees.
Despite successfully concluding their PhD programs, the three doctors have not returned to their designated roles at the Larkana-based medical university.
Impact on Institutional Capacity
The failure of state-funded scholars to return poses ongoing challenges for public sector universities, including SMBBMU, which sponsor faculty members to address critical teaching and clinical requirements. Breaches of overseas scholarship conditions leave planned academic and instructional positions vacant, undermining institutional human-resource development.
Details regarding any legal proceedings, financial penalties, or recovery mechanisms initiated against the non-returning scholars have not been disclosed.
