LAHORE Of 178 candidates shortlisted for interviews for 10 posts of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) in Punjab, 16 were called for re-interview on the last day leading to widespread speculations in the academic circles vis-à-vis the possible selection of VCs from among them. According to the information gathered by The News, the 16 candidates who were called for interviews again by the VC Search Committee on the last day of interviews, on May 13, included Prof Dr Khaleeq-ur-Rahman, Prof Dr Samina Amin Qadir, Dr Tahir Kamran, Dr Hassan Amir Shah, Dr Farhat Saleemi, Dr Athar Mehboob, Dr Azra Asghar Ali, Dr Rukhsana Kausar, Dr Uzma Qureshi, Dr Tahir Amin, Dr Saleem Farooq Shaukat, Dr Waseem Anwar, Dr Sara Shahed, Dr Shahid Mehboob Rana, Dr Rauf-e-Azam and Dr Talat Afza. Sources privy to the developments said following the interviews the VC Search Committees took an oath not to disclose names of the 30 candidates shortlisted in total, three each for a university. They also said while summary was prepared by the Additional Secretary (Academic) of the Higher Education Department (HED), the space for panel of three candidates for each varsity was left blank and was to be filled by the Secretary HED. They added that the summary was to be moved to the CM by Secretary HED Irum Bukhari. The sources said it was for the first time that such secrecy was observed vis-à-vis names of the shortlisted candidates on the panel for each varsity. It is pertinent to mention here that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif would approve name of one candidate, out of three, for each university after himself briefly interviewing the candidates. It is learnt that some of the candidates, who were out of the country, were interviewed via Skype. It is also learnt that some of the committee members were not satisfied with the presentation of almost all the candidates called for the interviews but since a big exercise was conducted the VC Search Committee was left with no option but to submit its recommendations. The VC Search Committee had interviewed candidates for the posts of VCs of Government College University (GCU) Lahore, University of Education, Lahore, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), University of Sargodha, Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) Multan, Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) Rawalpindi, Government Sadiq College Women University, Bahawalpur, The Ghazi University, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering & Information Technology, Multan and Khawaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan. Some of the incumbent VCs had also applied afresh for these coveted posts, including Dr Sabiha Mansoor, Dr Samina Amin Qadir, Dr Khaleeq-ur-Rahman and Dr Mohammad Akram Chaudhry. However, only two of them including Dr Khaleeq and Dr Samina were re-interviewed. The VC Search Committee was headed by Syed Babar Ali of LUMS and comprised Dr Zafar Iqbal Qureshi of LUMS, MPA Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha and Chairperson Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) Dr Mohammad Nizamuddin and Secretary of Higher Education Department (HED) Punjab who acted as Secretary of the Search Committee. It is also learnt Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha did not show up in any of the Search Committee’s meeting.
