PHC allows additional charge to VC

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday dismissed petition challenging the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor’s notification of giving additional charge of vice-chancellor Women University Swabi to the head of Swabi University. A division bench comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Ahmad Ali declared the notification of authorising Dr Imtiaz Ali, vice-chancellor Swabi University, to discharge the duty as acting VC Women University Swabi till the appointment of a regular VC as valid. The petition was filed by Jawad Ahmad Mir through his lawyer Ali Azeem Afridi. During the hearing, the lawyer argued that under the Universities Act, a pro-vice-chancellor would be notified as acting vice-chancellor for running the affairs of the university till the appointment of regular vice-chancellor. However, he said the governor KP in disregard for the law issued notification on July 3 about Dr Imtiaz Ali as acting VC of Women University Swabi. On the previous hearing the high court, another bench had suspended the notification restraining VC from additional charge till next order. The university’s legal advisor Muzzamil Khan submitted that currently there is no permanent senior professor in the Women University, Swabi and under the law, pro-vice-chancellor can be notified if he or she was a permanent professor.