Search committee: 3 names sent to Ebad for KU VC’s post - guess whose wasn’t

Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui’s name was not on the list.

KARACHI:

As the interviews for the coveted post of Karachi University vice chancellor concluded on Sunday, the governor’s search committee put forward a list of three names – current VC Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui’s name was not on it.

Governor Ishratul Ebad can now choose between Dr Abuzar Wajidi, Dr Muhammad Qaiser and Dr Nasiruddin Khan. However, he can also make any other choice, such as reinstating Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui.

The seven-member committee sent its shortlist ahead despite the mysterious absence of two of its members, Justice retired Haziqul Khairi and Dr Ishrat Husain. The committee is chaired by Dr SM Qureshi.

The candidates told The Express Tribune that they were primarily asked about their vision and what difference they would make if they were made VC.

When interviews with all the short-listed candidates were held, except for him, Dr Pirzada met the committee over lunch for his interview.

Declaring himself as a “man of principle”, Dr Pirzada told The Express Tribune that in his several meetings with the governor, including on December 29, he had categorically informed him about his complete disinterest in another term. “But, he [the governor] said to me that he finds very few academics and scholars who are competent enough to run the affairs of prestigious universities,” said Dr Pirzada. The VC confirmed that the governor included his name in the search committee’s short-listed candidates.

Dr Pirzada, who has himself headed search committees for vice chancellors in the past, said that he never sought applications from incumbent vice chancellors and their past performances were evaluated. “We used to invite incumbent vice chancellors for tea or lunch in a dignified way during interview sessions,” he added.

This would explain why he did not specifically appear for an ‘interview’ on January 15 and met the committee over lunch.

Dr Pirzada has served as VC for eight years. If he is given another term, he will work as VC for a decade. The post’s basic salary is Rs300,000.

Other members of the committee include Dr Ali Mohammad Ansari (former director-general of health), Professor UAG Isani (vice chancellor of Iqra University), Professor AQ Mughal (vice chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam) and Mumtazur Rehman (principal secretary to the governor).

Controversy

The entire process has been shrouded in controversy, with the spotlight especially on Dr Pirzada Qasim.

As his tenure was due to expire on January 6, Dr Pirzada met the governor on December 29, following which Dr Ebad issued a notification on January 4, asking the VC to continue to work “till further orders”.

As if this didn’t irk them enough, the other candidates had learned on December 11 that Dr Pirzada’s name was included on the list of those vying for the job, even though he had not applied as they did.

A member of the committee told The Express Tribune that credit goes to committee member Justice (retd) Haziqul Khairi, who took a “principled stand” on the inclusion of Dr Pirzada’s name.

Dr Khairi’s reported position was supported by other committee members. It was then that Dr SM Qureshi, who is also the chairperson of the Charter Inspection and Evaluation Committee (CIEC), had to tell his colleagues that Dr Pirzada’s name was included on the governor’s request. To this, Justice Khairi is reported to have said: “If it has to go this way, allow me, too to nominate a person at my will.” He then asked for Dr Ishrat Husain’s name to be included, but the latter had declined to attend the meeting.

The committee then refused to interview Dr Pirzada. Subsequently, the entire process was delayed as Dr SM Qureshi informed the candidates that he wouldn’t be able to go ahead with the work as his contract as CIEC chairperson was not being renewed. “He said that the chief minister had issued termination orders for retired employees hired on contract,” said the member, who wished to remain unnamed. “He said he had not received a letter of reinstatement yet.” The interviews were put off.

‘Utterly insulted’

The matter did not end there as a senior professor who had arrived for an interview questioned Dr Qureshi on what his post as CIEC chief had to do with the search committee’s work? “He had no answer except that he did not want to be controversial,” said this professor.

The reaction was bad. “To be honest, I felt utterly insulted,” said another professor who had been working for 25 years. “They first asked us to apply and then invited us for an interview. But since the stage was not fully prepared for Dr Pirzada, we were told that that we’d be notified to line up again.”

For this professor the search committee was a farce. Till Sunday, only one candidate could be interviewed: Dr Darakhshan J Haleem, the dean of KU’s science faculty. The interviews were rescheduled for January 15.

Resentment brews

Another rumour added to the controversy. Three people privy to a January 2 meeting with Dr Pirzada report that there was a discussion by one of the two pro vice chancellors, Dr Nasiruddin Khan, that there was a “monopoly” to bring in a Sindhi candidate as the next KU VC.

“We have to take a strong and unequivocal stand on this,” Dr Khan was reported to have said by the three sources who attended that meeting. Dr Khan advised that the deans and pro-vice chancellors accompany Dr Pirzada to Governor House and categorically tell Dr Ebad that they would never accept an “outsider” as vice chancellor. “We should suggest that the governor either retain Dr Pirzada as the VC or choose somebody else from among us,” Dr Khan reportedly said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2012.