VC candidate slams selection committee

PESHAWAR: Prospective candidates for vacant posts of vice-chancellors at nine universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have called upon the high court and the province’s governor to take action against adoption of improper selection criteria for filling these posts.

According to details, as many as 191 candidates had applied for the posts and at least 125 of them were shortlisted for interviews. But candidates accused the scrutiny committee of not inviting 63 candidates.



Prof Dr Shafiqur Rehman informed media persons that there were several violations. Criticising the committee, he said that the selection panel included just one member from the K-P while the others were from other provinces, adding that the committee adopted its own criteria.

“This … committee … (not only) failed to interview experienced professors but (also) assistant and associate professors,” Dr Rehman said at a news conference held at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday.



According to him, the head of the committee, (referring to Dr Ataur Rehman) was himself a handpicked man, adding that candidates were not informed why they were not invited for interviews.

Rehman also said that everything had been done in Islamabad which in itself was unprecedented, adding that the short-listing should have been transparent.

He urged the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court to take action in this regard and declare the selection null and void.