Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Finally best ranked Quaid-I-Azam University (QAU) hold its long delayed Syndicate meeting and finalized many pending cases including restoration of Registrar who had been sent on forced leave around one and half year ago, Daily Times
has learnt.

The Syndicate is prime decision making body of the varsity has directed for the restoration of the university Registrar Shafeeq Ur Rehman on his position. The sources revealed that cause of Rehman forced leave was some differences with Vice Chancellor Javed Ashraf.

Beside restoration of registrar, demotion of couple of faculty also made part of Syndicate agenda– Asif Ali and Waheed Iqbal Chaudhry have been demoted Associate Professor, Assistant Professor
respectively, revealed the sources familiar with meeting findings.

In chair with Vice Chancellor QAU Javed Ashraf, the Syndicate meeting was attended by its members Senator Farhatullah Baber, Ex Member National Assembly (MNA) Mehreen Anwar Raja, former Federal Minister Haji Muhammad Hanif Tayyab, Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Muhammad Humayun, Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Mukhtar Ahemd, QAU faculty members Waheed Chauhdry and Azhar Rizvi and acting istrar Sabir Khan.

The Syndicate made the decision of demotions in following with the QAU TTC committee verdict held its meeting on August 29, 2016.

The TTS committee comprised on Ex MNA Mehreen Raja as Chairperson, VC Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Sohail Naqvi, Dean Faculty of Biological Sciences (DFBS) Waseem Ahmed, Commandant Armed Forces Post Graduate Medical Institute (AFPGMI) Rawalpindi, Major General Zahid Hamid, former VC Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Karachi, Abdul Qadeer Rajput, Consultant Quality Assurance Department (QAD), HEC Muhammad Ismail. Ali was appointed as Associate Professor (On Track) in 2009 with the condition of initial probation period of ‘four years’. He then applied against the post of Professor advertised by the QAU. Ali submitted his dossier against the advertised slot. And QAU Syndicate held in April this year, permitted for the further proceeding of Ali case.

According to the documents obtained by this correspondent, in 2011 Selection Board (SB) of the varsity declared void the Ali’s case for Professorship terming that he “cheated in his research”. Aftermath Ali challenged the board’s decision in Islamabad High Court (IHC). However, the court dismissed his case. The case once again placed before varsity SB in 2015.

Finally, in October, 2015 the varsity management issued Ali appointment letter against the post of Professor without taking in account HEC endorsement, read the documents.

The TTS committee decision documents suggest that Ali did not submit the 15 published papers in ‘W’ category journals at the tiime of his dossier submission against the advertised post.

It was further said in the TTS decision that despite the HEC did not endorse Ali appointment, QAU paid Rs 2,454,260 arrears, responsibility for this malafide practice should be fixed.

Chaudhry’s appointment as an Assistant Professor on TTS took in place in 2007 whereas the varsity SB rejected his application for promotion on Tenured Associate Professor. On Chaudhry appeal against the SB recommendations, the university Syndicate in a meeting in 2015 has decided to send his dossier to three new foreign referees. His case was also not endorsement by HEC.

According to the documents, Chaudhry was asked to join as Tenured Asssociate Professor from June 6, 2014, but the date was not recommended by the SB and nor by Syndicate. And giving him Rs 604,108 arrears is also illegal as the HEC’s nod not been made
regarding this. Both the VC Ashraf and Registrar Sabir Khan could not be reached for comments. However, Waheed Chaudhry said that “the decision is not final. The recommendations of the Syndicate would be put before a committee for considerations”.