Vice chancellors appointments found to be politically biased

Author: By Javed Khan

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Zafar Iqbal Jhagra on Saturday returned a summary for the appointment of vice chancellors, terming it a politically biased appointment by the PTI provincial government. An official told Daily Times that Governor Zafar Jhagra, who is also the chancellor of all universities of the province, returned the summary to the PTI government, asking it to reconsider the appointments. The governor termed the appointments against merit and without political basis, the official said on condition of anonymity.

“The Governor returned the summary citing that qualifications of some of the names mentioned in the summary did not meet the criteria set for the post of VCs and also pointed that some of the VCs had secured third division in their academies’ journeys,” the official added.

The process for appointment of vice-chancellors to nine public sector universities has given by academic search committee appointed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). Former federal minister for science and technology Dr Attaur Rehman is chairman of the academic search committee while its members include former governor State Bank of Pakistan Dr Ishrat Hussain, Rector of Ripha University Dr GM Miana, Lahore University of Management Sciences Vice-chancellor Dr Sohail Naqvi and the secretary of higher education department.

The process for appointment of vice-chancellors of nine public sector universities was carried out under the KP Universities Act 2012. The ordinance was promulgated on February 9, 2016 and its constitutional life was 90 days. However, the assembly extended it for a further period of three months.

The proposed names of the committee for the nine public sectors were presented to the KP governor through provincial government but the names were rejected. The posts of VCs are lying vacant at five old and four new universities. The old universities include Islamia College University (ICU) Peshawar, Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST), Hazara University Mansehra and University of Science and Technology Peshawar.

The newly established universities by the provincial government are Women’s University Swabi, Abbottabad University of Science and Technology, Women University Mardan and Shuhada-i-Army Public School University of Technology Nowshera.