Gomal University staff to intensify protests

PESHAWAR: The teachers and other employees of the Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, have intensified protest against what they termed the illegal steps of the administration.

They announced to stage a protest sit-in outside the residences of the chief minister and governor in Peshawar soon after Eid besides launching a complete boycott of academic and administrative activities.

Talking to The News, President of Gomal University Academic Staff Association (GUASA) Shoaib Gangui levelled serious allegations of anti-employees’ actions, financial irregularities and misuse of power against the university administration, especially Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Sarwar and acting registrar Dil Nawaz Khan.

The association president was critical of the actions taken by the university administration. He claimed these measures were aimed at closing one of the oldest seats of higher education in the province.

The office-bearer flayed the university administration for serving show-cause notices to over 90 employees, mostly teachers, who had been appointed through allegedly illegal selection boards in 2008 and 2014.

He was of the opinion that a number of inquiries during the past 10 years had cleared these selection boards and termed the appointments lawful. He said the acting registrar Dil Nawaz Khan whose appointment was illegal was trying to take such steps to victimise the employees on the one hand and save his own skin on the other.

Shoaib Gangui said the administration has also cut non-attractive area allowance to teachers by 50 percent. “The teachers’ ward quota in the university has been abolished. A policy of pick and choose has been adopted in the name of the governor’s directives,” he said.

He added that the 10-point letter of the governor, which also calls for termination of Dil Nawaz Khan, should be implemented in letter and spirit.

Shoaib Gangui accused the university administration of doing illegal recruitment in different scales. He said the administration was also using the university’s resources for personal use inflicting huge financial losses on the university. He said that they would not sit in peace until all their demands were accepted.

Vice-chancellor Dr Mohammad Sarwar Khan rejected all the allegations as baseless. He said the protest was started when show-cause notices were issued to some 90 employees as per the directives of the governor.

He said that he had a one-on-one meeting with the governor wherein the issues of the university were discussed and the directives were given to him.

The vice-chancellor said the governor was of the opinion that the selection boards formed in 2008 and 2014 were illegal. “Therefore, the process under which these employees were selected by these selection boards had to be declared null and void,” he added.

However, he insisted that all the appointments made by these selection boards would not be declared illegal and action would be taken against those employees who were appointed without following the required criteria.

He said that all the employees concerned were individually called and asked to submit any record they had which could justify their recruitment. “Even after the show-cause notice, if the employees could present record that could justify their stance, action would not be taken against them,” he added.

The vice-chancellor rubbished the allegation of pick and choose and selective implementation of the governor’s directives, saying that the 10 points were being implemented in letter and spirit.

About the action suggested against Dil Nawaz Khan, he said that he possessed a high court decision in his favour, which barred the university administration from taking action against him.

The vice-chancellor said he was not ready to withdraw the show-cause notices. He pledged to implement the governor’s directives come what may.