Question of qualifications: Ajmal Khan’s eligibility as Islamia VC challenged

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) issued a notice on Thursday to Islamia College University Peshawar Vice Chancellor Prof Ajmal Khan after a petitioner challenged his eligibility for the post.

Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Qaiser Rashid heard a petition filed by Akhtar Ilyas through Muhammad Isa Khan Khalil. “As per the criteria, the applicant should have a PhD in any subject from a reputed university and experience in postgraduate teaching as well as administrative and financial management,” Khalil argued before the bench. He said Ajmal was appointed VC for a period of four years. He said the VC had a third division postgraduate degree and no PhD in any subject.

The irregularity was taken notice of in an audit which read, “It was noticed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education department, via a notification, appointed Ajmal Khan as vice chancellor for a period of four years but he did not fulfill the criteria.”

Age matters

The petitioner said Ajmal’s tenure expired on June 25, 2012 by which time he was 64 years old. He added the new four-year extension would see the VC through to the age of 67.

Akhtar said Ajmal was not eligible for the post and therefore not entitled to remuneration, pay, perks and privileges attached to the office. The petitioner added the appointment was made on political grounds and was in violation of the rules.

He urged the bench to ask the VC to define under which authority he could hold such an office. The petitioner also demanded legal proceedings against the chairperson and members of the search committee. The bench put the VC on notice through the higher education secretary.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2015.