Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. PHOTO: EXPRESS
A general body meeting of the teachers association of LUMHS expressed its dismay over the functioning of the varsity's administration under the registrar, who was a retired medical officer before his appointment to the post.
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"... request Chief Justice of Pakistan [Mian Saqib Nisar] to kindly take suo motu notice of the appointment of retired government servants as registrar of LUMHS," the meeting, chaired by the association's president, Prof Dr Suhail Ahmed Almani, demanded. The faculty reiterated the same appeal to Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and chief minister-elect Murad Ali Shah.
Prof Almani said the teaching faculty is increasingly concerned about the deterioration in the university's administration. He underlined that the faculty was particularly perturbed by the resignations of Prof Moin Ahmed Ansari and Prof Dr Ghazanfar Hussain Taqvi.
Ansari, the former chairperson of the department of psychiatry, and Taqvi, former head of the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, tendered their resignations earlier this month. Ansari complained against the administration for allegedly obstructing issuance of a no-objection certificate for his foreign travel. Meanwhile Taqvi's grievance concerned compelling him to work under a subordinate teacher.
A third teacher, associate professor Muhammad Shahzad, has also announced that he may resign as well because of the administration.
"The general body meeting requested the vice-chancellor to call an urgent meeting of the syndicate and take up the matter of Prof Ansari and Prof Taqvi's resignations."
Through the Sindh Universities Laws Amendment Act, 2013, the provincial government vested the power of appointing registrars of public sector universities in itself. The teaching community in Sindh has since been protesting against what it calls political intervention in the institutions of higher education and denial of autonomy to the universities.
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The LUMHS spokesperson Deputy Registrar Dr Saroop Bhatia said the varsity could not comment on the demand for removal of the registrar. "The matter is sub-judice in the Sindh High Court," he said, referring to the two petitions which have been filed, praying for Dr Bhatti's removal because he is a retired government employee. One of the petitioners is Prof Almani himself.
Commenting on Prof Taqvi's resignation, he said that Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Bhikaram Devrajani appointed associate professor Dr Kashif Channar as the head of department of oral and maxillofacial surgery. "The VC made the selection among the names of three most senior teachers in the department."
A varsity official, who requested anonymity, said that three registrars who preceded Dr Bhatti on the post were also retired government employees. He contended that the association's demand to sack the incumbent registrar seemed a personal tussle.
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