Corruption charges: FUUAST VC sent on forced leave, pending inquiry

The VC had asked the court to suspend the senate’s order, saying it was illegal

KARACHI: The vice-chancellor of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Dr Zafar Iqbal, will have to go on forced leave for three months until the investigation into the alleged corrupt practices and irregularities is completed by the varsity’s management.

The Sindh High Court (SHC), which had stayed the implementation of the decision by the varsity’s senate on the vice-chancellor’s request on December 25, 2014, recalled and vacated that order as his lawyer failed to appear for Wednesday’s proceedings.

Dr Zafar Iqbal had challenged the university’s senate meeting held on December 20, arguing that the meeting should have been called by the VC according to the law. But in violation of the statute and university by-laws, the director general of President Secretariat (public) had called a meeting of the senate members of the university on December 20 and its notices were issued illegally, he claimed.

In his plea, Iqbal said that the entire exercise of the senate meeting was illegal and without jurisdiction and was conducted at the behest of the Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) chairperson who wanted to extend the tenure of his favorite members in the senate for the next term.

The court was informed that as per media reports, the petitioner was sent on forced leave for three months without issuing any notice or opportunity of a hearing which was in violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution as well as the principles of natural justice.

The court was prayed to declare the entire proceedings of the 26th meeting of the senate as well as its decision as unlawful and set them aside.

Granting a stay on December 25, 2014, the SHC bench had suspended the operation of the decisions taken by the varsity’s senate till further orders.

The case was fixed for Wednesday, but the petitioner’s lawyer was absent twice, which irked the judges. “The matter has been taken up a second time and the learned counsel continues to be absent,” remarked Justice Munib Akhtar, the head of the bench.

Adjourning the hearing indefinitely, the bench ordered: “In such circumstances, the interim order made earlier stands recalled and vacated.”