Consequently, the illegal award of contracts and sheer violation of procurement rules caused millions of rupee loss to the national exchequer, according to the reference.
NAB Balochistan after completing investigation into the scam filed a reference against three government officers and contractors namely Zahidullah, Abdul Haq and Abdul Ghafoor.
"Dr. Tariq Banuri has ceased to be the Chairperson, Higher Education Commission forthwith and is accordingly removed from the said post, with immediate effect," a notification by cabinet secretariat said.
In 2018, the then Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had appointed Banuri as the HEC chairman for a four-year term.