Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: In a welcome development, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) has withdrawn the decision for appointing female faculty member Mona Liza as professor. The post would be re-advertised now and processed from beginning, Daily Times learnt reliably.

According to the documents available with Daily Times, a vacant post of Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences (DES) of the varsity was advertised in the national press on November 25, 2014 and Mona Liza shortlisted against the post and has been presented in the scrutiny committee. But she did not meet the criteria for the post.

The sources revealed that the withdrawal decision was made in the meeting of university Selection Board (SB) held on Saturday and Sunday. As per QAU rules, the Selection Board shall consider the applications received in response to an advertisement and recommend to the Syndicate (apex decision making body) the names of the suitable candidates for appointment to such posts. The promotions cases should also be part of the SC review.

The meeting of SB was attended by VC Javed Ashraf as chair and members included Dean Faculty of Natural Sciences Amin Badshah, Chairperson Department of Electronics (DE) Hassan Mahmood, Registrar Shafiq Ur Rehman, Rizwan Ul Haq member FPSC, Zulifqar Cheema, Mehmood Ul Hassan Bhatti consultant HEC.

A departmental scrutiny committee on August 17, 2015 selected the name of Mona Liza from couple of shortlisted candidates.

According to the HEC prescribed requirement for appointment of Professor in any higher education university or Degree Awarding Institute (DAI), the desiring candidate must have Ph D degree from an HEC recognized institution in the relevant field as well as fifteen years teaching/research experience (out of which at least eight years post-PhD level experience in an HEC recognized University or post-graduate institution or professional experience in the relevant field in a national or international organization.

The candidate should have ten years post- Ph.D. teaching/research experience in a recognized University or a post- graduate institution or professional experience in the relevant field in a national or international organization.

Beside the said qualifications and working experience, the candidate should have fifteen research publications including at least five publications in the last five years, in HEC any recognized journals.

The documents available stated that Liza did not full-fill the second requirement of publications.

The documentary evidences revealed that since the advertisement of the post (Professor) to August 2015, several departmental scrutiny committees have been formed and deferred without any result.

An official who was highly informed with entire episode, wished not to be named, revealed that these all are delaying tactics used by vice chancellor Javed Asharf because he (VC) desired to appoint Liza against the slot by and large.

Soon after a fresh scrutiny committee in chair with Zakaullah, Dean faculty of natural sciences, reconstitution on July,2015, Mona Liza filed a request in the DES for seeking relaxation in her less published papers. In the result of her filed request a new cycle of forming and postponing of scrutiny committees started once again.

Beside the Liza case several other cases of the appointments and promotions came under discussion in SB meeting. Very surprisingly, when the matter of Liza was being discussed, the chair of the meeting VC Ashraf, Dean Badshah, Registrar Rehman has been directed for leaving the meeting by the other participant members, added an official who was familiar with the SB proceedings.

While as per law all members of the SB have equal status and the Registrar is the secretary of the board who is responsible for collecting the minutes of the SB’s findings.