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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Sindh government likely to appoint permanent KU VC by next month

By Arshad Yousafzai
January 27, 2020

The Sindh government is likely to appoint a permanent vice chancellor for the Karachi University by the next month as the Boards and Universities Department has shortlisted seven candidates for the position.

Since the demise of former vice chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ajmal Khan on May 4 last year, the position of vice chancellor in the varsity has been lying vacant. However, the provincial government had made Prof Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi the KU’s acting vice chancellor till the appointment of a permanent vice chancellor through the search committee.

The Boards and Universities Department through separate letters has invited seven candidates out of 22 applicants for preliminary interviews. They are Prof Dr Rukhsar Ahmed, Dean Faculty at the Shah Zulfikar Ali Bhutto University of Law, Prof Dr Muhammad Yousaf Khushk, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Prof Dr Khalil Ahmed Ibupoto, Director Reach at the Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam, Prof Dr Mehdi Hassan Kazmi, Chairperson of the Department of Applied Chemistry at Karachi University, Prof Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat, Vice Chancellor of Sindh University, Prof Dr Abid Hussain, Director at the Karachi University, and Prof Dr Khalid Mehmood Iraqi , the current acting vice chancellor of the Karachi University.

The notification issued in this regard reads: “We refer to your job application against our advertisement in the newspaper for the position of vice chancellor, University of Karachi, under the Universities and Boards Department, Government of Sindh. You are advised to appear for preliminary interviews before the members of the search committee on January 28. The candidates are further directed to bring all testimonies especially showing administrative experience.”

The search committee’s chairman is Prof Dr Abdul Qadeer Rajput and five permanent members are Prof Dr AQ Mughal, Prof Dr Neelofer Shaikh, Prof Dr Muhammad Qaisar, former federal secretary Imtiaz Kazi and Sindh Higher Education Commission secretary Muhammad Hussain Syed.

According to the procedure, the committee will refer names of three candidates to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali to select one candidate.

However, the Sindh Governor House will issue notification of the appointment of the permanent vice chancellor. Last year, the Sindh government had passed the Sindh Universities and Institutes Law Amendment Bill 2018, under which the CM became the authority to appoint vice chancellors and pro vice chancellors. After the passage of the bill, the Sindh governor, who is the chancellor of the varsities, has had only a symbolic role.

‘Serious reservations’

Meanwhile, around six candidates who were not shortlist for interviews have raised questions over the scrutiny of the applicants by the search committee.

Through a letter, they informed the CM that “few of us have already been declared eligible for the post of vice chancellor of the Karachi University and the Federal Urdu University as per existing criteria of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. Therefore not listing our names in the current scrutiny list is questionable”.

The letter further reads that “we have serious reservations about the members of the search committee that have remained directly associated with the University of Karachi and there is a conflict of interest and nepotism”.

They requested the CM that the whole process should declared null and void in the far-reaching interest of the varsity and for justice.