VC, registrar’s promotion: Stay issued against AIOU selection committee’s decision

Petitioner says his name was not forwarded despite eligibility.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a stay order against the decision of a selection committee of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) which had recommended names of acting vice-chancellor (VC) and registrar for promotion to grade-22 as meritorious professors

The stay came on a petition filed by AIOU Department of Physics Chairman Prof Syed Zafar Ilyas, who has claimed that the selection committee ignored his name despite his being eligible for the position of a meritorious professor.

IHC Justice Athar Minallah issued notices to the respondents to submit replies within 14 days.

According to the petitioner, he has 30 national and international awards to his name and has got more than 85 write-ups published in national and international journals besides being a visiting scientist of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

The petitioner has pleaded that his service term, which he spent at the University of Balochistan and as chairperson of the physics department, was deliberately excluded and not counted by the AIOU selection committee, which was unlawful.

It is worth mentioning here that the AIOU selection committee was short of quorum and both the VC and registrar were sitting in the committee meeting. According to the rules, a person who is a candidate for promotion cannot sit in the selection committee meeting.

The VC has already been issued a notice (NO.127-P/HEC/AIOU-63) by the Higher Education Commission after he was found guilty of plagiarism.

The selection board also ignored the adverse ACRs against the VC and the registrar.

The Express Tribune already ran a story about the whole affair after obtaining documents from AIOU.

Meanwhile, an AIOU spokesperson has said the selection board has recommended the names for meritorious professors strictly in accordance with rules and procedures.

He said the plagiarism charges against the VC were baseless and that the allegations of an adverse ACR against the registrar were also incorrect.

He said the VC could not quit the selection committee meeting as it was a matter of meritorious professors.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2014.