Conferring Honors: SU to grant PhD to premier Raja

KARACHI:

Before the assemblies are dissolved on March 16, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf will have another feather in his cap – an honorary doctorate in “recognition of his services to the country”, as termed by the Sindh University (SU) vice-chancellor, Dr Nazir Ahmed Mughal.

After receiving an endorsement from Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, the university has decided to award the doctorate to the prime minister at its convocation to be held on February 23.

Allegedly, the decision to award a doctorate was not put up before the university’s statutory forums, like the academic council and syndicate.

The Sindh University Teachers’ Association has termed the decision as one that will devalue the status of the prestigious university.”

The association’s president, Dr Arfana Mallah while talking to The Express Tribune, said that the academic degrees and awards should not be conferred on political basis, like the way one was given to Rehman Malik in the past.

“The vice chancellor should think what kind of precedence he is setting for the university,” said Dr Mallah as she questioned would the officials endorse such a decision if some other government decides to award a degree to Pervez Musharraf or Ziaul Haq just because they had remained presidents of the country.

“It is lamentable that a prime minister with no impressive record would be awarded a doctorate just because he is an ‘incumbent prime minister’ and administrative officials would buy out political favours in return.”

To follow a legality, she added, this decision of the vice chancellor needed to be endorsed by members of the syndicate but Dr Mughal did not follow the democratic procedure and and sought refuge in “emergency powers” vested in him.

For an honorary doctorate, said Dr Mallah, the names of eminent personalities with distinguished record of achievements were recommended by the university’s Board of Advanced Studies and Research to the statutory bodies for final decision.

The university’s registrar, Muhammad Nawaz Narejo, however, said that the prime minister’s biggest achievement was to withstand and rescue the country through democracy as well as his past affiliation with the university as one of its students.

“Such a decision could not be declared as vice chancellor’s own as he took all the deans in confidence and asked for Sindh governor’s approval as well.”

Narejo added that the idea for the doctorate was developed and planned around 10 days ago and it was not possible to call a syndicate meeting in such a short time.

Back in 2011, Dr Ishratul Ebad, who is the chancellor of provincial public-sector universities, had also conferred honorary doctorate on Senator Abdul Rehman Malik in recognition of his “matchless services to the country in the war on terror and particularly in restoring peace to citizens of Karachi.”

The decision, however, had met with strong condemnation from the Karachi University’s teachers and students.