JSMU appoints retired officials to important positions in disregard for SC directives

In disregard for the directives issued by the Supreme Court and flouting established rules, Jinnah Sindh Medical University finds itself embroiled in controversy over the recent appointments of retired personnel to pivotal roles within the institution.

A glaring example of this breach of protocol is the installation of Azam Khan, a 65-year-old individual, as the registrar, despite surpassing the retirement age. Additionally, Dr Rahat Naz, lacking the requisite educational qualifications and having already attained superannuation, has been posted as director HR, a Grade 20 position. Equally astonishing is the appointment of Sohrab Zaman, formerly a Grade 17 employee at Dow University, to the position of director admin at Jinnah Sindh Medical University, also a Grade 20 post. He was implicated in the leakage of the MDCAT examination paper.

Such promotions from Grade 17 directly to Grade 20 without precedent raise serious questions about the integrity of the selection process. Insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that these irregular appointments had been initially for a five-year term, but due to push back from dissenting Syndicate members, the tenure was curtailed to three years.

This trend of rehiring retired officers and teachers, who then draw full salaries on top of their pensions, is not unique to Jinnah Sindh Medical University, but is rampant across medical institutions in Sindh. Retirees are not only reabsorbed into administrative roles but also appointed to influential positions, exacerbating the strain on the public coffers, increasing the problems of an already cash-starved country.

Despite repeated attempts to obtain an official statement, both from the university’s spokesperson, Ms. Asfiya Aziz, and Secretary Universities and Boards Department Noor Ahmed Samoo, this scribe has been met with silence.

The scandal surrounding these appointments underscores the urgent need for a thorough investigation into the selection process and calls for swift action to rectify these apparent breaches of protocol and ensure the integrity and credibility of educational institutions.