MPhil allowances: Supreme Court to hear Arid varsity’s appeal

Adoption of Punjab’s policy by a certain university is not a reason for petitioner to follow the same, says university

ISLAMABAD: The apex court is set to decide on the applicability of Punjab government policy directives issued to Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi.

In 2009, the Punjab government had issued a notification directing the varsity to give MPhil allowances to its employees.

Later, Yasir Iqbal, a lecturer at the university, sent a representation to the Lahore High Court stating that his MPhil allowance claim had been rejected.

Two years ago, the LHC Rawalpindi bench accepted his plea and directed the university to pay the allowance.

Now, the university has challenged the high court verdict in the Supreme Court, contending that the Punjab government’s policy directives are not applicable to the university as it is an autonomous body. The university also says that it could not pay allowance due to fiscal restraints. It also stated that Punjab government’s directive only applicable to its civil servants, and the university is only bound by its own charter and the provisions of Arid Agriculture Act, 1995.

The adoption of Punjab’s policy by a certain university is not a reason for the petitioner to follow the same, says the university.

When the two-judge bench, headed by Justice Dost Muhammad Khan, took up the case two days ago, Assistant Advocate General Mudhasir Khalid appeared on behalf of the Punjab government and stated that all the provincial government policies are applicable on the university and it should give MPhil allowances to its employees. The bench issued notices to all respondents and put off the case till after the Eid break.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th, 2016.