KP govt issues offer letters to 18 VCs after years of delay

PESHAWAR: After nearly three years of delay, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has finally issued offer letters to 18 academics for appointment as regular vice-chancellors of various public sector universities in the province - apparently in compliance with Supreme Court directives ordering the immediate filling of these long-vacant positions.

Originally, the government was to fill the vice-chancellors’ posts in 19 universities. However, a technical complication has delayed the appointment for the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Swat. The institution was recently converted into a general university, rendering the recommended candidate, Engineer Prof Dr Qaiser Ali, technically ineligible for the post.

According to the offer letters issued by the Higher Education Department, each selected academic has been given three days to confirm acceptance. The appointments will span a total of four years - an initial two-year term, followed by a further two years contingent on satisfactory performance.

However, the offer letters specify that the appointments remain conditional upon the outcome of a review petition filed by the provincial government in the Supreme Court. The petition seeks to overturn the court’s April 16, 2025, order that compelled the government to proceed with the appointments.

The newly appointed vice-chancellors are: Prof Dr Jauhar Ali - University of Peshawar; Prof Dr Tahir Irfan Khan - Abbottabad University of Science and Technology; Prof Dr Mohammad Zafar Iqbal - Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan; Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali - University of Agriculture, Dera Ismail Khan; Prof Dr Mohammad Tahir Khalily - Khushal Khan Khattak University, Karak; Prof Dr Aurangzeb Khan - University of Lakki Marwat; Prof Dr Mohammad Ali - Hazara University, Mansehra; Prof Dr Gul Mohammad Khan - UET Mardan; Prof Dr Dawood Jan - University of Agriculture, Swat ; Prof Dr Sardar Khan - University of Shangla; Prof Dr Shakeebullah - University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Swat; Prof Dr Mohammad Sadiq - UET Peshawar ; Prof Dr Jamil Ahmad - Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan; Prof Dr Zahoorul Haq - Bacha Khan University, Charsadda ; Prof Dr Saeed Badshah - Shuhada-e-APS University of Technology, Nowshera; Prof Dr Syed Zafar Ilyas (Retd) - Kohat University of Science and Technology; Prof Dr Mohammad Jahanzeb Khan - University of Science and Technology, Bannu: Prof Dr Ghazala Yasmin - Women University, Swabi

Out of the 34 public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 24 have remained without permanent vice-chancellors for years. Both the former and current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) governments, as well as the interim caretaker setup, failed to make the appointments in a timely and transparent manner - a lapse that drew criticism from academic circles and prompted legal challenges from affected candidates.

The issue became particularly controversial in 2023 when the academic and search committee, led by eminent scientist Dr Ataur Rahman, resigned in protest, citing the government’s lack of seriousness and interference in the merit-based selection process.

Although the caretaker government reconstituted the committee and swiftly finalized panels for 19 universities, the newly elected provincial government later attempted to reverse the process by re-advertising the positions in July 2024, citing amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act.

This move triggered fresh litigation. A group of professors challenged the advertisement in the Peshawar High Court, which ruled in November 2024 that the government must honor the earlier selection process and make appointments within 10 days.

Rather than complying, the provincial government appealed to the Supreme Court, which on April 16, 2025, dismissed the appeal and directed the government to proceed with the appointments. Fearing contempt proceedings, the government reluctantly issued the offer letters.

Amid this legal tug-of-war, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly passed an amendment to the Universities Act in December 2024, making the chief minister, instead of the governor, the chancellor of public sector universities, thereby shifting the power to appoint vice-chancellors to the former.

The amended law was published in the provincial gazette and received the governor’s assent on December 23, 2024.The change raised concerns in academic circles, with critics arguing that it would compromise universities’ autonomy and increase political influence over higher education institutions.

Despite the issuance of offer letters, uncertainty persists. The provincial government has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court and may still attempt to reassert control over the appointment process.Meanwhile, during this prolonged impasse, six more vice-chancellors completed their tenures, and those posts have now remained vacant for over a year.