Hiring of retired academicians as vice chancellors challenged

Petitioner also questions appointment of chairmen of boards.

KARACHI:

A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday ordered the issuance of pre-admission notices to the secretary of the federal establishment, the governor of Sindh, Sindh chief secretary, and other officials for August 30 on a petition questioning the hiring of retired persons as vice chancellors of universities and as head of other educational institutions.

The petition which was filed by a local NGO -- United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan – also questioned the appointments, deputations and postings on political basis.

Rana Faizul Hasan, representing the petitioner, maintained that despite orders by the Supreme Court of Pakistan which bans contractual appointment of retired persons, Sindh province has inducted a number of vice chancellors who retired many years back.

The petitioner questioned the appointment of Dr Qaisar Ali Khan as VC of Karachi University, Engineer Abul Kalam as VC of NED University of Engineering and Technology, Nazeer  Mughal as VC , Sindh University, Abdul Latif Ansari as VC of Agriculture University Tandojam, Neelofar Shaikh as VC of Shah Abdul  Latif University, Khairpur and VC of Quaid-e-Awam University, Benazirabad. It also referred to the hiring of Anwar Ahmad Zai as chairman of the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi and Abdul Haleem Khanzada as chairman of the Intermediate Board Hyderabad.

The petitioner maintained that Sindh government was defying a number of orders and judgments by superior courts directing them to repatriate all officers on deputation from all departments.

The petitioner also mentioned  that in defiance to all orders of the courts, Federal Minister Syed Khursheed Shah got his son and nephew appointed on deputation in FIA Karachi.

The petitioner informed the court that on 77 key posts, contractual employees have been posted while one convict, Ramesh Udeshi, (former member Land Utilization) was appointed Member Public Service Commission and all these acts of Sindh government were in violation of Article 4, 8, 25 and 38 of the Constitution.

The petitioner requested the court to order that each and every official on deputation be repatriated to his parent department (provincial and federal), declare notification for promotion of four officers of Anti Corruption as illegal and void and to order immediate removal of all officer on contract and filling these key posts by giving promotions to competent, honest available officers waiting for posting.

The petitioner also requested the court to restrain all illegally appointed vice chancellors of universities in Sindh who have retired way back and appointment new VCs and chairmen of boards of intermediate education.

The bench, comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Aftab Ahmed Gorar, allowed the urgent hearing of the petition and ordered its office to issue notices to the respondents including the governor in his capacity as Chancellor of the universities, besides asking the respondents to file comments by August 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25^th, 2012.