Tug-of-war: Urdu varsity VC refuses to step down, again
A Karachi court decides to maintain status quo.
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ISLAMABAD:
There seems to be no end to plight of the students and teachers of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) as the Vice-Chancellor Zafar Iqbal has refused to step down, again despite his removal order from President, who is also the chancellor of the institute.
On a court order on Wednesday Vice-Chancellor Zafar Iqbal was removed and Dr Muhammad Qaiser was appointed acting VC of the university. However, later on the same day the same court announced to maintain status quo.
On December 22 last year, President Mamnoon Hussain on the recommendation of the university’s Senate sent Iqbal on forced leave. But he refused and got a stay order against the decision from a district court in Karachi.
The situation has worsened as both the Karachi and Islamabad campuses continue to bear the brunt of the mismanagement and financial irregularities.
Earlier in February, students of the engineering department protested against the varsity’s intransigence for not accrediting them with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). They boycotted examinations and also held sit-ins outside the campus.
According to officials privy to the matter, the management has yet to fulfil the requirements for the PEC’s accreditation.
The teachers, who are raising voices against certain decisions of the VC, are being issued show-cause notices in Karachi.
“Many teachers are victimised only because they are opposing the VC’s decisions of promoting and hiring staff without any merit,” said a teacher requesting not to be named.
The Islamabad campus is being run in rented building and to date, according to Iqbal the varsity has paid Rs32 million rent. “We are looking to inaugurate construction of new campus at Chak Shahzad on March 28 where land has already been purchased,” he said.
Though many such announcements have been made previously nothing concrete has been done so far. In response to this, Iqbal blamed the Capital Administration and Development Division for its “discrimination” in allocation of land to them while the finances for construction have been another herculean task.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2015.
There seems to be no end to plight of the students and teachers of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) as the Vice-Chancellor Zafar Iqbal has refused to step down, again despite his removal order from President, who is also the chancellor of the institute.
On a court order on Wednesday Vice-Chancellor Zafar Iqbal was removed and Dr Muhammad Qaiser was appointed acting VC of the university. However, later on the same day the same court announced to maintain status quo.
On December 22 last year, President Mamnoon Hussain on the recommendation of the university’s Senate sent Iqbal on forced leave. But he refused and got a stay order against the decision from a district court in Karachi.
The situation has worsened as both the Karachi and Islamabad campuses continue to bear the brunt of the mismanagement and financial irregularities.
Earlier in February, students of the engineering department protested against the varsity’s intransigence for not accrediting them with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC). They boycotted examinations and also held sit-ins outside the campus.
According to officials privy to the matter, the management has yet to fulfil the requirements for the PEC’s accreditation.
The teachers, who are raising voices against certain decisions of the VC, are being issued show-cause notices in Karachi.
“Many teachers are victimised only because they are opposing the VC’s decisions of promoting and hiring staff without any merit,” said a teacher requesting not to be named.
The Islamabad campus is being run in rented building and to date, according to Iqbal the varsity has paid Rs32 million rent. “We are looking to inaugurate construction of new campus at Chak Shahzad on March 28 where land has already been purchased,” he said.
Though many such announcements have been made previously nothing concrete has been done so far. In response to this, Iqbal blamed the Capital Administration and Development Division for its “discrimination” in allocation of land to them while the finances for construction have been another herculean task.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2015.