LARKANA: The long-standing issue of posting orders for over 400 employees of the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana, stands resolved as the institution’s management started issuing the letters on Friday in the light of former chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s directive. There were also reports that Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ghulam Asghar Channa has tendered his resignation on Thursday.

Confirming initiation of the posting process, SMBBMU registrar Prof Dr Afsar Bhutto, told Dawn on Friday that the posting orders were being sent to the employees through a courier service.

“The vice chancellor had given a go-ahead to the process in the light of the former CM’s directive,” said Prof Bhutto. According to him, the approval was given during a meeting between the VC and the quarters concerned. He said it was mandatory upon the employees to fill in the undertaking stating that they would withdraw the petitions they had filed in the Sindh High Court regarding their posting orders.

VC resigns after accepting ex-CM’s directive

“The employee who declines to submit the undertaking will not be eligible for posting,” the registrar said.

When asked whether the institution had the funds at its disposal to afford such a huge number of employees, Prof Bhutto said: “We have sufficient buffer budget to cater to the financial requirement”.

The matter was settled when the VC secretariat received a letter along with the former CM’s handwritten note pertaining to the summary’s approval by him, sources said, adding that the note was sent to the VC secretariat by the secretary of boards and universities.

The note read: “I have spoken to the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of the University. There is a lot concern shown by the public that University’s working is suffering due to shortage of staff. The process of fresh recruitment has been delayed due to litigation. Both the Registrar and the Vice Chancellor are of the opinion that the recruitment process that had been done was largely proper. The appointment orders had been issued and the appointees had to join. Moreover they are of the opinion that they will make sure that no unqualified person is employed. In view of the interest of running the University, the order regarding the joining/posting of employees and the order for delaying the recruitment afresh are withdrawn”.

Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ghulam Asghar Channa tendered his resignation on Thursday.

Media persons on Friday kept trying to reach him by phone but his mobile phone was found switched off throughout the day. However, responding to an SMS sent to him by this reporter a day earlier, he in a late night response confirmed that he had relinquished his post. “Yes, I have resigned from this post of V.C. SMBBMU”, read the SMS.
The reason behind the 11th hour resignation was yet to be known.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2018