Political pressure drives Lyari varsity VC to call it quits

Sustained pressure, protests, interference in key decisions cited

KARACHI:

Political pressure and mounting interference in administrative affairs have allegedly prompted Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University Lyari Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hussain Mehdi to quit, with his resignation exposing a widening dispute over the reinstatement of dismissed employees and the running of the university.

Dr Mehdi has sent his resignation to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the university's controlling authority, but said he would continue performing his duties until the resignation is formally accepted.

The resignation follows a growing dispute at the university that reportedly began during a Syndicate meeting over the case of a dismissed employee and has since escalated into protests, allegations and demands for the removal of the registrar.

According to university sources, the controversy erupted during a heated exchange between PPP leader and Sindh MPA Yousuf Baloch and Associate Professor Dr Ibrahim Noorani over the case of a dismissed employee. A group of university employees has since been protesting for three days against the registrar and demanding his removal, alleging that he is affiliated with a political party.

In a video statement, Noorani, the associate professor in the Department of Public Administration and a Syndicate member, accused Baloch of bringing Tanveer Soomro, whom he described as a "ghost employee" dismissed by the university, into the Syndicate meeting and attempting to secure the reinstatement of employees removed over alleged misconduct and corruption.

Following Noorani's roughly 12-minute video statement, the university administration issued him a show-cause notice over his allegations against the MPA. Dr Mehdi confirmed his resignation and said disciplinary action had been taken against more than 15 employees on various charges. He said some had been accused of consuming drugs on the university premises, while others were classified as ghost employees or were accused of being absent from duty. He added that the Chief Minister's House had directed the university to take action in some cases.

In his resignation, the vice chancellor said the university had made "significant progress" over the past 18 months in financial management, faculty development, academic activities, infrastructure and institutional development.

However, he said, a group of employees apparently motivated by political considerations had been creating unrest and exerting sustained pressure on the administration through protests and demands.

The situation, he said, had reached a point where pressure was being exerted for the registrar's resignation, describing it as a serious concern for the institution. Dr Mehdi maintained that administrative appointments and decisions should be made by competent legal authorities in accordance with applicable laws and rules. If such decisions were instead dictated by employee pressure, he warned, the authority of the university's statutory bodies would be weakened and an inappropriate precedent would be set for future administration.

He said the continuing pressure and disruption had significantly affected the functioning of the university administration and made it increasingly difficult for him to discharge his responsibilities effectively as vice chancellor.