Anomalies in recruitment: PHC directs Mardan varsity to submit Syndicate meeting’s decisions

MARDAN: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the Abdul Wali Khan University to submit the report of its Syndicate meeting held a few weeks back to decide the future of the employees who were allegedly appointed through fake documents, an official told The News on the condition of anonymity.

He said that more than 260 employees were appointed against different positions in the university through advertisement number 48 published in various newspapers in September 2015.

Later, several reports appeared in the press about the alleged violation of merit in the recruitment.

The sources said that the university administration appointed a four-member inquiry committee on the directives of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor on January 3 to probe any possible wrongdoing.

The inquiry committee, the sources said, found out that 260 employees were appointed by submitting fake documents.

The sources claimed that one appointment order of demonstrators was issued on December 15, 2016 after the passage of 16 months through the said advertisement.

The sources added that another order of appointment of demonstrators was issued on January 24, 2017 after the passage of 17 months.

They added that the meeting of syndicate was held on February 20.

Dr Khurshid Khan, who was appointed as vice-chancellor of the university some months ago, chaired the meeting.

The sources maintained that the vice-chancellor had requested two members of the Syndicate, Arshur Rehman and Shafiqur Rehman not to attend the meeting as they were members of the scrutiny committee.

It was decided in the Syndicate meeting to form a sub-committee to reinvestigate to decide the fate of the employees who were appointed in violation of merit.

The sources added that the administration had decided to make public the minutes of the Syndicate meeting and post them on the university website.

The sources said that some employees had approached the Peshawar High Court on April 3 to seek justice. The PHC directed the university administration to produce the minutes of the Syndicate meeting.