VC’s appointment: PHEC secy summoned with appointment record

LAHORE: Lahore High Court on Tuesday directed the Punjab Higher Education Commission secretary to appear before the court in person with record of appointment of vice chancellors at four public sector universities in the province.

Earlier, a law officer representing the secretary requested the court to grant him some more time to submit his response in the matter. The request was declined.

At an earlier hearing, Justice Shahid Karim had issued stay orders against the impugned appointments at the Punjab University, the Lahore College for Women University, the University of Sargodha and Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology, Multan.

The petition had been filed by Dr Asmatullah, a PU Zoology Department faculty member. He had submitted that the PHEC and the Higher Education Department had initiated the recruitment process without lawful authority. He said search committees formed in this regard were also in violation of the law. He said the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan was the only lawful authority for appointment of VCs at public sector universities.

The government’s counsel had dismissed the petitioner’s contention and said that appointments were made in accordance with the law.

The hearing was adjourned till March 24.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2016.