Comments sought on plea against public universities’ appointment criteria

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the provincial universities & boards secretary and others to file comments on a petition challenging the appointment criteria for finance directors in public sector universities.

The petitioner assailed the eligibility criteria for the recruitment and appointment of finance directors in public sector universities.

He said that the passing percentage for written tests has been increased from existing ratio of 50 per cent in 2019 that had been reduced to 40 per cent because out of 70 candidates, only seven had been able to pass.

He also said that more than 25 posts of finance director at public sector universities are lying vacant, while the passing percentage of the written test has been unnecessarily increased to 60 per cent without assigning any reasons.

He pointed out that it would be counterproductive for the purpose of the recruitment process of the finance director post in public sector universities.

The petitioner said that the respondents have the authority to formulate policy and decide the standard for the purpose of the recruitment process.

However, he added, there has to be rational reasonableness by placing certain restrictions, otherwise it would be difficult for chartered accountants holding master’s degrees to be appointed as finance directors at public sector universities.

He also filed an urgent hearing of the application, saying that the official respondents also intended to again advertise for vacant posts of finance directors of public sector universities, and to initiate the selection process anew on the basis of the eligibility criteria and the process that had been adopted earlier.

He requested the court to direct the respondents to consider the candidates who had earlier obtained 50 per cent marks in the previous test for the forthcoming selection process. An SHC division bench headed by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi directed the provincial law officer, the universities & boards secretary and others to file their comments on the petition and the application by January 31.

Election pleas

The court also issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan, the returning officer for the provincial assembly constituency PS-76 Thatta and others on a petition against the acceptance of the nomination papers of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate.

Ghulam Murtaza said in his petition that the election tribunal had accepted the nomination papers of the JI’s Mohammad Ali Khan, turning down the objections against the candidate. The petitioner said that the respondent is the administrator of a charitable hospital, and on the basis of such misdeclaration, he cannot be allowed to contest next month’s general elections.

The court, however, dismissed the petition of the same petitioner, who had also raised objections on the acceptance of the nomination papers of Saeedur Rehman, a candidate of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI), for PS-76 Thatta.