FUUAST staff split as relocation plan deepen crisis

Non-teaching employees rally in support of VC, reject shifting of headquarters to Islamabad

KARACHI:

The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) is caught in a deepening crisis, with teaching and non-teaching staff locked in a bitter standoff over unpaid salaries, exam boycotts, and a controversial proposal to relocate the central headquarters to Islamabad.

As faculty members continued their protest and examination boycott in approximately 34 out of 38 departments over financial grievances, non-teaching employees took out a 'Day of Stability' rally at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal campus in support of Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zabta Khan Shinwari. The rally, led by Employees' Union President Adnan Akhtar, started from the Abdul Qadir Auditorium and concluded at the New Academic Block, where participants raised slogans for the university's stability and autonomy.

Akhtar told The Express Tribune that the recent turmoil had damaged the institution's reputation. "Negotiations were ongoing between faculty and administration, but certain incidents created tension," he said. He also warned that the proposed relocation of the central secretariat to Islamabad would severely affect the two Karachi campuses, where the majority of students and staff are based.

Akhtar revealed that staff had not been paid salaries for two months, while house allowance had been outstanding for nearly 20 months. Medical facilities remain suspended, and basic infrastructure issues persist, including dilapidated buildings, unusable washrooms, and lack of clean drinking water and transport for students.

He called on the federal education ministry, Higher Education Commission (HEC), and other bodies to provide immediate financial support, saying the university's financial deficit has been mounting for years.

Teachers, meanwhile, have refused to back down. They allege that despite repeated negotiation attempts, the administration has failed to address their demands - including unpaid house allowance for 20 months, restoration of medical facilities, and pension payments for retirees.