FUUAST crisis : Suspended VC terminates acting VC

Acting VC Prof Dr Sulaiman D Muhammad was appointed by the President on April 13

KARACHI: The ongoing administrative crisis at the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) took another ugly turn on Monday when the acting vice-chancellor, Prof Dr Sulaiman D Muhammad, who was appointed by the President on April 13, was terminated from services on charges of plagiarism.

The decision was taken by a meeting of the university's syndicate, chaired by the controversial 'vice-chancellor' Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal, which "unanimously resolved and recommended that in accordance with Section 3(5) and 23(2)(a) of the Fuuast Ordinance 2002, major penalty of removal from service shall be imposed against Dr Muhammad."

However, according to the directives issued by the President House, Dr Iqbal ceases to exist as the vice-chancellor of the federal university until the five-member inquiry committee, headed by former Justice Haziqul Khairi, absolves him of the multiple corruption and mismanagement charges.

On December 20 last year, the university's senate meeting held at the President House in Islamabad had unanimously resolved to send Dr Iqbal on a three-month forced leave and terminate the registrar, Dr Fahim Uddin, with immediate effect to ensure an impartial inquiry. However, Dr Iqbal has been refusing to relinquish the vice-chancellor's office, claiming that he had obtained a Sindh High Court's stay order against the senate's decision of sending him on forced leave.

Following the controversial syndicate meeting, nevertheless, the 'terminated' registrar, Dr Fahim Uddin, had on Monday evening issued a termination of services letter for Dr Muhammad, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune. "The allegation of plagiarism against you has been proved," stated Dr Fahim Uddin in his letter.

Dr Muhammad, when approached by The Express Tribune, declared the decision a 'preposterous attempt with mala fide intentions by a person who is not legally an authority anymore'.

"In 2012, the plagiarism committee of the varsity, headed by Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser, had already absolved me of the plagiarism allegations levelled by an anonymous source in its letter to the Higher Education Commission," said Dr Muhammad. "Dr Iqbal reopened the case with mala fide intentions."

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2015.