Daily Times

Due to absence of minister and other key officials concerned, a parliamentary body on Friday deferred 10 important legislative bills. The committee, annoyed over absence of VC Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) for briefing on alleged gross irregularities in university, directed for the officials in-person appearance in next sitting of the committee.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training met under the chairmanship of Mian Najeebuddin Awaisi and took up over 14 agenda items.

The Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Parliamentary secretary of the ministry Wajiha Akram and secretary of the ministry Arshad Mirza did not attend the meeting due to which the proceeding over proposed bills related to education and culture sector could not be carried.

The committee members including chairman expressed annoyance over absence of the VC, QAU Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, they said that the varsity ever remained the hub of administrative issues and none of the concerned official bothers to address these issues in real means.

“The university administration prepares mere reports of ‘all good’ but practically they do nothing”, said a member of committee adding that the administration works like a mafia.

The Committee chairman said that the QAU existed in the federal capital and moreover it located on few kilometers from president house while president is the chancellor of the university. “If situation of this varsity is so miserable then plight of other such institutions across the country could be imagined”, he regretted.

While talking on another agenda item related to some serious administrative issues in the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), MNA Sadaqat Ali Khan said that it is very regretful that despite having enrolment of over 30,000 students but don’t have good administrative mechanism and they focusing on how to make money or profit through hefty fees. “Currently, there are two different offices within varsity one is President, who is Saudi national, while another is rector office”, he said adding that one authority makes any kind of decision or policy while the other suspends to that policy.

“This overlapping practice is major cause for overwhelming administrative issues of the IIUI”, Sadaqat regretted and cited an example of a fatal clash between two groups occurred in recent which led one student to death, he said that the varsity administration still failed to determine who is in actual responsible for the death of wretched student.

In response, the rector IIUI Dr Masoom Yasinzai said that a high powered impartial committee already formed and will compile a comprehensive report soon on this matter. “As report finalized, we will submit it to the committee subsequently”, Dr Yasinzai committed.

Another MNA also pointed out that the IIUI given lie statement to this committee as they informed that there are total 9 directors of the varsity while in actual the varsity has appointment of 13 directors. “The filled slots of director trainings, director exams and director president are concealed”, he pointed out.

The vice president of the IIUI Dr Naveed Aqdas Malik admitted the concealment. He, however, termed it unintentional and clerical mistake.

The lawmakers, however, could not be satisfied by Dr Malik statement and they insisted that a privilege motion should be moved against varsity for such blunders.

Moreover, a four member sub-committee formed to disuse the issues of above both universities in detail. The committee includes Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Andleeb Abbas, Mehnaz Akbar Aziz as members while Sadaqat Ali Khan chairman.

The differed legislative bills and amendments moved by different MNAs are as the Pakistan Academy of Letters (amendment) Bill, 2019, ( moved by Muhammad Sana Ullah Khan Masti Khel), The Pakistan National Council of Arts Bill, 2019, (Syed Fakhar Imam), The Islamabad Capital Territory Private Educational Institutions (amendment) Bill 2019, (Syed Fakhar Imam), The Higher Education Commission (amendment) 2019 Bill, (Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das), The Pakistan Academy of Letters (amendment) bill 2019, (Shafqat Mahmood, federal education minister), Right to Free and compulsory Education Bill 2020, (Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan), The Minorities Education Seats Bill 2020, (James Iqbal), The institute of Art and Culture (amendment) Bill 2020, (Uzma Riaz), Minorities Access to Education Bill 2020, (Jamshed Thomas).