HEC ED appointment: Protests against new executive director continues
Proestors demand govt review its decision, otherwise they will have no option but to mobilise all stakeholders.
ISLAMABAD:
Civil society activists on Saturday continued protesting on Saturday against what they called the “illegal appointment” of a new Higher Education Commission (HEC) executive director.
Carrying banner and placards inscribed with slogans like “Stop political interference in HEC”, “Raise your voice for the independence of the institution, “Save the institution”, and other messages, a number of civil society activists assembled in front of National Press Club (NPC)to lodge their protest.
A majority of the protesters were female activists, including Tahira Abdullah, Samar Minallah, and Siddiqa Malik. They stayed outside NPC for almost two hours.
They demanded that the government review its decision, otherwise they will have no option but to mobilise all stakeholders to save the institution. “We are here today to record our protest against the appointment of new executive director Major (retd) Qamar Zaman, and civil society will never allow the government to play with independent institutions like the HEC,” said Samar Minallah.
HEC Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari had received a notification on November 28 from the Establishment Division giving Qamar Zaman, a BS-22 Secretariat Group officer, to take the additional charge of HEC executive director.
“What message does the government wants to give by removing Dr Sohail Naqvi who played a vital role for the HEC. Thousands of students are affiliated with HEC and ... it’s unfair for anyone to play with their futures,” said Mahnaz Aziz another activist.
She alleged that with the elections approaching, the incumbent government is targeting the HEC by destroying it like current and past governments have destroyed other institutions.
The protesters said that government is violating the apex court order of April13, 2011by appointing a bureaucrat to this post and requested the courts to take notice of this issue.
They vowed to continue their protest and announced they would protest outside the HEC office on December 3. “Till the decision is taken back, we will continue our protest,” said Tahira Abdullah.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2012.
Civil society activists on Saturday continued protesting on Saturday against what they called the “illegal appointment” of a new Higher Education Commission (HEC) executive director.
Carrying banner and placards inscribed with slogans like “Stop political interference in HEC”, “Raise your voice for the independence of the institution, “Save the institution”, and other messages, a number of civil society activists assembled in front of National Press Club (NPC)to lodge their protest.
A majority of the protesters were female activists, including Tahira Abdullah, Samar Minallah, and Siddiqa Malik. They stayed outside NPC for almost two hours.
They demanded that the government review its decision, otherwise they will have no option but to mobilise all stakeholders to save the institution. “We are here today to record our protest against the appointment of new executive director Major (retd) Qamar Zaman, and civil society will never allow the government to play with independent institutions like the HEC,” said Samar Minallah.
HEC Chairman Dr Javaid Laghari had received a notification on November 28 from the Establishment Division giving Qamar Zaman, a BS-22 Secretariat Group officer, to take the additional charge of HEC executive director.
“What message does the government wants to give by removing Dr Sohail Naqvi who played a vital role for the HEC. Thousands of students are affiliated with HEC and ... it’s unfair for anyone to play with their futures,” said Mahnaz Aziz another activist.
She alleged that with the elections approaching, the incumbent government is targeting the HEC by destroying it like current and past governments have destroyed other institutions.
The protesters said that government is violating the apex court order of April13, 2011by appointing a bureaucrat to this post and requested the courts to take notice of this issue.
They vowed to continue their protest and announced they would protest outside the HEC office on December 3. “Till the decision is taken back, we will continue our protest,” said Tahira Abdullah.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2012.