Punjab University’s interim VC resigns

LAHORE: Punjab University (PU) interim Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zafar Moeen Nasir resigned from his post on Friday.

PU officials, seeking anonymity, said Dr Zafar Moeen had resigned following alleged extreme pressure from the Punjab government following he refused to hand over 2-kanal of university’s land near Chauburji to the government. The government wanted to hand over the land to a religious party as one of its seminaries was on the route of the Orange Line Metro Train project which needed to be demolished.

However, sources in the Higher Education Department (HED) said Dr Zafar Moeen was recently accused of corruption at the university by the minister for higher education. They added the department high-ups had lost confidence in the interim VC as a number of complaints were received against him.

The sources further said the interim VC was called by the department authorities and the only option placed before him was to resign. They added the VC had asked for some time and eventually tendered his resignation on Friday.

Meanwhile, PU Teachers Front (PU-TF) has ‘welcomed’ the decision of the VC saying instead of facing enquiries he allegedly tried to adopt a ‘safe passage’ by resigning. The teachers’ group said the whole teaching community had announced resisting the land issue and it was on their pressure the interim VC had to postpone the syndicate meeting held in this regard. The PU-TF also demanded the government hold a regular inquiry into allegations of corruption against him.

HED sources further said after the resignation the department had moved a summary for stopgap arrangements and added Dr Zakria Zakir was most likely to be given the charge as VC till the appointment of a regular person or another temporary arrangement, whatever the case might be.

Talking to The News, Dr Zafar Moeen Nasir refuted the allegations of corruption against him. BS forms date: Punjab University (PU) has issued the schedule for submission of admission fee and forms for the BS (four-year) programme first semester examination 2018.

For regular and late college students, the last date for submission of admission forms with single fee is January 24, 2018 while the forms can be submitted with double fee till Jan 31, 2018.

The commencement date of the examination will be announced later. Meanwhile, the PU has announced the results of MA Economics part-I annual examination 2017. The details are available at the PU website www.pu.edu.pk.

PhDs: Punjab University (PU) has awarded PhDs to five candidates. Shumaila Farooq has been awarded a PhD in Agricultural Sciences after approval of her thesis entitled “Characterization and Management of Macrophomina Phaseolina (Tassi) Goid. Associated with Charcoal Rot of Sesame (Sesamum Indicum L.) in Punjab, Pakistan”, Salma Iqbal in Pakistan Studies after approval of her thesis entitled “Cooperation and Confrontation in Pakistan-United States Relations during the General Pervez Musharraf Era”, Ikram Ullah Khan in Arabic after approval of his thesis entitled “Arabic Language in Gilgit-Baltistan (An Analytical Study)”, Saeed-Ur-Rehman in Arabic after approval of his thesis entitled “Ghassan Kanafani and Kreshan Chandar (A Comparative Study in Resistance Literature” and Asma Zahoor in Home Economics after approval of her thesis entitled “Lighting Design and Its Effect on Employees’ Performance: A Case for Commercial Banks in Lahore.”