Nepotism at play?: After barely passing, VC’s son gets top university job
The outgoing vice chancellor of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University (PMASAAU) has had his son inducted as an assistant director (AD) in the varsity, apparently relaxing relevant rules and regulations.
Last week, the PMASAAU syndicate approved the appointment of Irfan Munir, the son of Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Munir, as an assistant director in BPS-17 in the university’s Institute of Management Sciences, university officials told The Express Tribune.
The university policy for hiring officials in grades 16 and above calls for first divisions throughout the applicant’s student life, while the younger Munir has a third division on his secondary school certificate, said an official close to the recruitment process.
While Dr Munir retired on Saturday after reaching the age of superannuation, his son had been working as an AD at UIMS on contract for four months before being regularised.
The official further confided that Irfan was initially inducted as an assistant registrar in the accounts department on contract basis and was later transferred to UIMS as assistant director without advertising the post, another relaxation extended to the son of the university head.
The official further said that the selection committee ignored many applicants with outstanding academic records and gave Irfan preference for having “relevant experience of four months”.
The university advertised the post of AD with the condition of a first division MBA without mentioning any required experience, but when the interviews of applicants were taken, they were rejected for being short of experience in government or semi-government organisations.
The official source further revealed that attempts were made to accommodate another close relative of the VC as assistant registrar.
The candidate has already been working in the university as a computer assistant but his case was not recommended by the selection committee.
When contacted, AAU Registrar Maqbool Awan said no violation had been made. However, he could not answer questions about relaxing the policy on first division candidates and changing the advertised criteria.
The registrar also confirmed that the university had received applications from candidates more qualified than the VC’s son.
Despite repeated attempts, Dr Munir could not be reached for comments.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2012.
COMMENTS (4)
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There is a SERIOUS flaw in this news. The Registrar Malik Maqbool (who happens to be a relative) did not approve this appointment which is why he too was sacked at 8:30 pm at night.
Nice to see Tribune shedding the light on these irregularities.
Well ok this appointment is not upto the merit but seriously in America and in Europe the performance criteria for securing job and as a research assistant is to have Relevant research in the peculiar field and number of research papers and . Believe me I have met so many Individuals who were rejected in Pakistan because of their lower marks and now doing wonders abroad. My one friend got rejected Because he was the doctor from prestigious university of UK but his matriculation was in second division because of his family problems and now he sometimes visit Pakistan and same people who rejected him now get his lectures. I think the government should end this marks criteria of whole life a first division to secure a job, May be Irfan would not be brilliant in Secondary but later on he will have other achievements. The people like Bill Gates were genius and they were College drop outs. So tell me would you prefer a Genious like Gates or a Person with good marks throughout for Selection???. No Pakistani University is even in Top 500. So this means our Selection criteria based on Pure marks rather then Research Publishing is Purely Flawed.
Welcome to Pakistan,it Happens only here..