Top job: Appointment of Lahore College for Women VC delayed

Rukhsana Kausar has challenged Sarah Shahid’s eligibility

LAHORE: The appointment of the vice chancellor (VC) of the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) has been delayed in the wake of Sarah Shahid’s nomination being challenged by another candidate.

A Punjab Higher Education Department official told The Express Tribune that Rukhsana Kauser had argued that Shahid was not eligible for the position. The official said the notification of her appointment had been withheld accordingly. He said the Punjab Higher Education Commission was looking into the matter. The official said that the department had not received a report yet from the commission in this regard.

Kauser told The Express Tribune that any aspirant for the post had to author at least 15 research papers approved by the HEC. Kauser said Shahid did not meet this requirement. She also said that Shahid was a college-cadre professor and not a university professor. Kauser said she was the most senior-most aspirant for the job. She said she had authored nearly 45 published research papers that had been approved by the commission. She said she had been awarded a PhD by a foreign university.

Shahid told The Express Tribune she had not been informed regarding her appointment. She said she had complete confidence in the department and would comply with its directives. “I am the only applicant for the post. I have no information regarding a notification. I also have no knowledge about my appointment being challenged by another aspirant,” Shahid said. An LCWU spokesperson said no information regarding the appointment of the varsity’s VC had been received. He said the university’s management was not involved in the process as the matter fell in the jurisdiction of the department. The spokesperson said Uzma Qureshi had been working as the acting VC.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2015.