PU VC ordered to hold senate election

LAHORE
THE Lahore High Court Tuesday stayed a meeting of Punjab University Senate scheduled for today (Wednesday) and directed the varsity vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran to start process for the election of the Senate.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah issued this order on the petitions of two faculty members of the PU and sought a written reply from the vice-chancellor, about appointment of his wife, Prof Shazia Qureshi, as Principal of PU Law College.
Petitioners’ counsel argued that the VC was not ready to hold fresh election of the senate since 2007 to hold his monopoly in the institute. He said annual budget of the university had not been approved from the senate too.
Additional Registrar Kamran Abid, present in the court, admitted that the senate was dysfunctional for the last eight years. However, he said, budget had been approved after constituting a quorum of the senate.
Justice Shah expressed serious displeasure over the state of the university’s affairs and observed that the law should be repealed if the institute was supposed to be run by a quorum. ‘Seemingly the law is being mocked in the Punjab University,’ the judge said. Petitioner’s counsel pointed out that section 15 of the University Act gave its vice-chancellor unbridled powers and the incumbent exploiting the authority. He pointed out that Dr Kamran promoted his wife Shazia Qureshi and appointed her as Principal of the Law College whereas the syndicate had not approved the move. He asked the court to set aside the appointment of the vice-chancellor’s wife as the principal.
Staying the meeting of the PU senate, the judge directed the vice-chancellor to start process of holding the election within a week. The judge also sought a reply about the appointment of Prof Shazia Qureshi by the next hearing on April 9. Prof Javed Sami and Assistant Prof Shazia Gul had filed the petitions.