At long last, HEC gets its chief

Nawaz approves appointment of Dr Mukhtar Ahmad against the post.

ISLAMABAD:

A day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a warning, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, the executive director of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as new chairperson of the body.

Dr Ahmed’s appointment came through after seven months of dithering and a set of missed deadlines set by the IHC.

The top office had been vacant since August 26, 2013 when former HEC chief Javaid Laghari’s term expired. On November 12, 2013, the government handpicked University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar Vice Chancellor Imtiaz Hussain Gilani as Laghari’s temporary replacement. Gilani‘s tenure ended on February 12, 2014 but he was asked to continue as the chairman by the premier.

Earlier this year, irked by the delay, Dr Attaur Rehman, former HEC chairperson, had filed a petition in the IHC seeking a permanent chief for the institution.

But despite a February 12 deadline, set by the IHC, the government failed to appoint a head for the education body.

Subsequently, a six-member committee was constituted by the prime minister in January to pick the right man for the job.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th, 2014.