Search for DUHS VC likely to end this week

Academic search committee to pick panel of three candidates for varsity post

KARACHI: The long battle to find the next vice-chancellor for Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) is likely to end this week when the academic search committee meets.

According to sources in the Sindh government, the DUHS search committee will once again proceed with the same names it recommended earlier: Dr Saeed Qureshi, Prof Umer Farooq and Dr Ajmad Siraj Memon.

Back and forth decisions

The VC post at DUHS has been lying vacant since September, 2015 when Dr Masood Hameed Khan, who completed his three terms of four years each (the maximum allowed to any VC of a public university) retired. According to the Sindh Universities and Institutes Laws (Amendment) Act, 2014, the VC is appointed by the government for a period of four years, which may be extended for one term.

Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad appointed Prof Dr Umar Farooq as the acting VC of DUHS on September 17, 2015, until a replacement for Dr Khan was found. Soon after, Dr Farooq was replaced by KU VC Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser for two days.

In October 2015, the search committee interviewed 12 candidates and recommended Dr Qureshi, Prof Farooq and Dr Memon. As per law, the chief minister recommended Dr Qureshi, the then medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, Karachi. However, the governor being the chancellor of all public universities superseded the recommendation and appointed Dr Noshad Ahmed Shaikh as the VC through a notification back-dated to October 2, 2015.

Since Dr Shaikh was already serving as VC of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro, his appointment was challenged in Sindh High Court (SHC) by Dr Qureshi and the Pakistan Medical Association. On October 8, the SHC suspended the notification that made Shaikh the VC on grounds that the governor had no authority to bypass the CM’s recommendation.



The suspension did not last long, as on October 27, the governor once again appointed Shaikh the VC. The saga continued when, on November 6, the SHC once again suspended the governor’s notification. Following this order, Khan was asked to continue as acting VC on November 10 as a stop-gap arrangement but he was refrained from taking any influential decisions. The SHC bench reserved its verdict in the case on March 21 and, on April 26, ordered the search committee to start afresh the selection process for the new VC. The list of shortlisted candidates will be sent to the CM, who will forward his recommendation to the governor to make the appointment.

Search committee components

However, Qureshi had named one of the members of the search committee, Fazalur Rehman, as a referee in his papers. The SHC judges observed that “since Qureshi is also one of the candidates in the selection process, therefore, in order to maintain impartiality and neutrality, the chief minister is directed to substitute the nomination of Fazalur Rehman and in his place any other competent person be inducted into the search committee through reconstitution.”

“We have followed the court orders and added two renowned professors - Dr Shahid Parvaiz of Aga Khan University and Dr Ameer Ali Shoro of Liaquat National Medical College - as search committee members,” explained Iqbal Durrani, the CM’s secretary on boards and universities. He assured that the panel of three candidates will be finalised this week. Other members of the search committee include Szabist chancellor Azra Pechuho, Sindh University former VC Mazharul Haq Siddiqui and Durrani.

Internal rift

Meanwhile, acting VC Khan has asked the governor to remove Dr Qureshi from his post. “Dr Qureshi left the country on ex-Pakistan leave without informing anybody so disciplinary action [should] be taking against him,” he claimed. For his part, Dr Qureshi told The Express Tribune that he was granted leave by the chief secretary and that he will continue teaching at DUHS. “This is a conspiracy against me as some elements don’t see me as VC that is why they have adopted these tactics,” he claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2016.