Gomal University employee files writ petition against chancellor, VC

PESHAWAR: An employee of Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, has filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) against his own vice-chancellor as well as the Chancellor/Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for taking illegal decisions, including giving additional charge of vice-chancellor of the university to Prof Dr Masroor Illahi.

The petitioner Riaz Ahmad was originally a computer programmer now serving as deputy director (IT) and member of the university Syndicate. He had been removed from the position of deputy registrar and downgraded from grade 18 to 17. The Governor’s Inquiry Report had recommended disciplinary action against him. The university Syndicate in its 102nd meeting also recommended disciplinary action against him, but this didn’t happen.

The respondents in the case, which has been filed in the PHC’s Dera Ismail Khan Bench, include Governor KP Shah Farman, who is chancellor of all public sector universities in the province, secretary higher education department, KP, Prof Dr Masroor Illahi is vice-chancellor of Agriculture University, Dera Ismail Khan holding additional charge as vice-chancellor of Gomal University.

Dr Masroor Ellahi was given the additional charge after Prof Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, the vice-chancellor of Gomal University at the time, was sent on forced leave by the Governor for three months on disciplinary grounds for violating rules and writing directly to the prime minister against the decision of the KP government to upgrade the Agriculture University, Dera Ismail Khan into a full-fledged university and allocate it assets presently held by the Gomal University. Dr Iftikhar Ahmad too has challenged the Governor’s decision in the court.

The litigation is affecting the work of the crisis-ridden university. Groupings have also emerged in the university.

The petitioner prayed to the court to declare the Governor’s orders as illegal, void ab-initio, ultra-virus and against the provisions and spirit of the relevant law, rules and statutes issued in access to abuse of powers.