Campus politics: VC seen in bid for another extension

Chief minister to visit alma mater, Government College University, after a lapse of 12 years.

LAHORE: Some suspect that the Punjab Chief Minister’s (CM) attendance at the Government College University (GCU) today means that the Vice Chancellor (VC) is using this opportunity to renew his term for a third time.

CM Shahbaz Sharif will attend the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected office bearers of the Old Ravians Union (ORU) at the Government College University (GCU) today. The CM will be visit the GCU after 12 years.  Some faculty members at the GCU claim that the rift between GCU vice chancellor (VC) Dr Khalid Aftab and the CM might have been smoothed over as Dr Aftab makes an attempt to maintain his seat for a third consecutive term. GCU’s spokesperson confirmed that Sharif would be the chief guest at the ORU’s oath taking ceremony.

The last time Sharif had been at the GCU was in 1999 when he was the chief guest at the inauguration of the computer science department. Sources in GCU told The Express Tribune that after Sharif returned to power in 2008, the VC tried to invite him on several occasions but the CM refused even to speak with him.

Sources at the GCU said the reason for Sharif’s annoyance lay in the close ties the VC was said to have developed with former president General Pervez Musharraf and then governor Lt Gen Khalid Maqbool. Later, sources said, when Salmaan Taseer was appointed Punjab governor in 2008, Dr Aftab congratulated him and invited him as chief guest to the GCU’s 2008 convocation. Dr Aftab’s second term as VC comes to an end on February 25. GCU officials said the VC desires a third term. In a bid to win Sharif’s favour, Dr Aftab, they said, had asked ORU members to intervene.

Some GCU official said that Sharif’s agreement to attend the ORU ceremony means that Dr Aftab has the CM’s approval

Dr Aftab, an economist, is the first VC of the GCU. He had earlier served as the principal of the College from 1993 to 2002. He had also headed its economics department for three years.

ORU, an elected body of GCU alums, was established in 1934. Its office is located on the GCU campus. The VC is the ex-officio patron of the ORU.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 15^th,  2011.