Revelations: The man who denied admission to his own son launches book

Prof Dr Abdul Wahab discusses political, military interventions at educational institutions

KARACHI: Prof Dr Abdul Wahab managed admissions at one of the best business schools and could easily secure a seat for his son. But the educationist claims to never have compromised on merit.

“That night I cried a lot when I, being the head, wrote my son a non-acceptance letter from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). My son had a few marks less than the required merit. But principles should not be violated at any cost.”

He was speaking at the launch of his book, titled ‘Sarkari Idaro Ki Islah?’ (Reforms of Public Institutions?), on Monday at the Defence Central Library. His book comprises ‘painstaking’ experiences that he went through during his tenures as director of the IBA and vice-chancellor of Karachi University (KU).

In his book, he denied taking dictations and pressures from the rulers of the country, including former military dictator General Ziaul Haq, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the General Headquarters and the central command office of the Pakistan Army.



He said that social justice was the basis of a country’s prosperity and progress. “Running an educational institution was not a simple task,” he said. “In situations of external pressures from the ruling elite, brains should be used instead of authority.”

Letter from Gen Zia

Talking about his experiences mentioned in the book, Wahab said that General Zia once wrote him a letter, nominating a guy to be admitted in IBA without any obligation. “At first, I was stunned,” he said. “Subsequently, I decided to cope with it while subtly keeping the merit intact.

“The boy came to me from Bahawalpur’s Islamia University. He was limping due to a polio-affected leg. After a brief interview, I ascertained that he would not stay here for long. I asked my subordinates to allot him the best room at the boys’ hostel without enrolling him in the students’ register.

“After a few days, the boy came to me and asked for a taxi to go back to Bahawalpur. As expected, he was not able to comprehend the courses and the teaching methodology here.”

Wahab said that he asked him to stay for some more time but the boy was reluctant and went back. “General Zia was in Quetta when he got to know about the matter,” he said. “Though he expressed annoyance but it was the boy’s own will to leave.”

Political hooligans and BB’s order

Narrating his experiences, Wahab talked about the time when he directed the boys’ hostels at KU to be cleared of all unregistered students who were mainly political workers.

“Following the crackdown, the hostels were sealed for a revamp,” he said. “A politically affiliated group approached the higher authorities. Subsequently, I received an order from the then prime minister Benazir Bhutto that all hostels must be reopened and students restored.” Wahab said that, following the directives, he replied that all hostels have been reopened with ‘genuine’ students restored.

He has penned many ‘challenging’ events in his 400-page book. The chapters include corruption within educational institutions, tussles with the bureaucracy, political interference and military commands.

Talking to The Express Tribune, he said that there was also a story about one of the country’s top leaders who is part of the current government. However, he did not mention the incident in his book upon a friend’s request.

Nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan presided over the book launch as the chief guest. Besides terming the book a ‘guideline for public servants’, he expressed hope for the betterment of the system. “However, those in power don’t really want to get rid of problems.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2014.