KP governor halts recruitment process at Haripur varsity

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has immediately stopped the recruitment process at Haripur University and directed them to submit all the records.

Governor Shah Farman has issued orders to scrutinise all records and review the recruitment process. The record of recruitment in the previous and the current years has been sought to review the entire process. The government sources confirmed that action has been taken on the complaints of illegal recruitment in the university.

It was alleged that the appointments made in the 16th Selection Board on February 5, 2021, were based on favoritism, nepotism. The university administration has been accused of recruiting inexperienced administrative positions. The administration did not consider top of the merit candidates in Economics, Geology, Mathematics, Food Science Technology, Entomology, Medical Lab Technology, and Management Sciences departments and cover up the difference of merit by giving blue eye candidates the highest marks in interviews. Some of the hand-picked candidates were given 18 to 19.20 marks to place them on the top of the merit list.

According to a letter issued by the Governor Secretariat said: “It has come to the notice of the Chancellor that massive recruitments are being made in the University of Haripur on the basis of illegally set criteria in the statutes violating the procedure and without any need assessment. You are, therefore, required to immediately freeze the recruitment process being made under the relevant statutes, until the entire process is reviewed by the Chancellor Secretariat. A furthermore complete record of recruitments being made currently and previous year should be sent to the Governor Secretariat.”

The Vice-Chancellor, University of Haripur, Professor Dr Anwarul Hassan Gillani, while strongly rejecting the allegations, said that the University of Haripur is well known for its merit-based policies.

He said that before joining as VC, in March 2019, the budget deficit was over 30 million, but in 2020-21 budget is over 40 million surplus, thus allowing the university to establish Rs11 million Endowment Fund. The student strength increased by 100 per cent in two and a half years, thus the 60 per cent budget was generated from our own resources.

“We have the largest number of PhD programs (24) compared to any young university of 10 years old in Pakistan. Around two-thirds of employees were on contract for as long as 8 years, this complex issue was resolved on merit. 12 new departments and 10 new Ph.D. programs launched”, he said.