CT Newsroom/Monitoring Desk
Punjab Higher Education Department has appointed seven vice chancellors (VCs) of public universities, including Punjab University.
Reportedly, following the Supreme Court’s orders in the month of August 2024, a research committee was formed comprising Lt-Gen (Rtd.) Muhammad Asghar, Farkhanda Wasim Afzal, and Amjad Saqib with former bureaucrat Ismail Qureshi in chair.
The said committee conducted interviews of the candidates for the position of VC at public sector universities and, after the scrutiny, the list of final candidates was sent to the office of the Chief Minister, Punjab.
On September 2, 2024, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz conducted a meeting with 11 candidates for VCs’ positions at public sector universities. On September 16, 2024, the CM met seven candidates for VCs’ positions at the public sector women universities. After approval from the CM, names of the final candidates were sent to Punjab Governor Sardar Salim Haider for further approval. However, the Governor showed his reservations over the list. While talking to media, he said the selection of the candidates was not based on merit. As per law, the committee or chief minister’s office can send a list with the names of at least three professors for each appointment on the basis of seniority, qualification and reputation, not on favouritism, he added.
Punjab Governor Salim Haider decided to call 18 out of the 25 recommended candidates for interviews. On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari stated that the governor’s role is limited to endorsing the cabinet’s decisions.
The governor’s move led to a controversy between the two offices, however, on Monday (September 23, 2024), the Punjab Higher Education Department appointed seven VCs in the public sector universities, including University of the Punjab after the governor’s approval.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali has been appointed as the VC of University of the Punjab for four years. Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) former chairman Shahid Munir has been appointed as the VC of the University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Lahore, Prof. Dr. Aqif Anwar Ch. has been appointed as the VC of the University of Education, Lahore, Engr. Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shuja has been appointed as the VC of the University of Gujrat, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Inayatullah Khan has been appointed as the VC of UET Taxila, Prof. Dr. Amir Azam Khan has been appointed as the VC of Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology (KFUEIT) in Rahim Yar Khan, and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Zubair Iqbal has been appointed as the VC of Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) Multan.
It is worth-mentioning that only seven public sector universities have now their permanent VCs out of 25 public sectors universities in Punjab. Lahore College for Women University, Government College University, University of Layyah and many others still do not have their permanent vice chancellors.
