PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi here on Sunday alleged that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government wanted to recruit its blue-eyed vice-chancellors at 26 public sector universities for which it reverted the already completed process of appointment.

The governor, who is also chancellor of public sector universities, requested Peshawar High Court to fix the case regarding appointment of vice-chancellors for hearing on day-to-day basis. He said that prolonged delay in appointment of VCs affected students as well as administrative and financial affairs of universities.

The governor expressed these views in a video message shared with media.

It is pertinent to mention that posts of VCs were advertised during the last PTI government when Mahmood Khan was chief minister. The academic search committee interviewed candidates.

Kundi requests PHC to hear case about the recruitment process on daily basis

Although the caretaker government approved candidates for the posts of VCs seven months ago, the appointments were withheld by a top government functionary, reportedly awaiting the formation of the new government after the February 8 general elections.

The government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the province challenged the caretakers’ move, insisting that they did not have legal authority to appoint VCs and re-advertised the vacant positions some two weeks ago.

The governor said that the process for recruitment of VCs took six months to complete during the tenure of caretaker government. He added that it would take another six months after reverting the entire process and re-advertising the posts.

“Declaring the entire completed process for recruitment of VCs null and void and restarting it again means that PTI wants to appoint its own people as VCs,” he said.

The governor said that conditions in universities already turned deteriorated during the previous two tenure of PTI government in the province and it would further worsen if PTI people were recruited as VCs.

He said that provincial government should have approved names of VCs recommended by the academic search committee in the larger interest of students and province.

Mr Kundi said that cabinet members of PTI government in the province and other leaders were blaming each other for corruption. “Someone says in PTI that chief minister is involved in corruption while others blame a minister,” he said, referring to the recent blame game in the party due to which a minister was sacked.

Commenting on the three-member accountability committee recently formed on the directions of PTI founder Imran Khan, he said “dacoits have been selected to investigate the acts of thieves.”

“I again request PHC to immediately decide the case regarding appointment of VCs. Universities have been suffering in the absence of regular VCs,” said the governor.

Currently, PHC is hearing a petition jointly filed by five senior academicians including Dr Aurangzeb Khan, a professor at University of Science and Technology Bannu, claiming that the caretaker provincial government had approved their names for appointment as vice-chancellors of five public sector universities on the recommendation of academic search committee, but the present government instead of forwarding their names to governor for appointment, in an arbitrary manner re-advertised the said posts on July 27.

The petitioners have requested the court to declare the impugned decision of the provincial government taken in cabinet meeting on July 12, 2024, about scrapping the earlier decision of the caretaker government about appointment of VCs as illegal and unconstitutional.

The universities functioning without regular VCs for around two years include Abbottabad University of Science and Technology, Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan, Khushal Khan Khattak University Karak, University of Agriculture Dera Ismail Khan, University of Lakki Marwat, Hazara University Mansehra, University of Engineering and Technology Mardan and Women University Swabi.

Similarly, seven universities including Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Bacha Khan University Charsadda, Shuhada-i-APS University of Technology Nowshera, Kohat University of Science and Technology, University of Peshawar, University of Science and Technology Bannu and University of Engineering Peshawar have been awaiting appointment of regular VCs for the last 10 months.

Officials told this scribe that universities functioning without regular VCs for five months included Fata University Dara Adamkhel, Islamia College University Peshawar, University of Buner, Women University Mardan and University of Chitral.

They said that the newly-established universities including University of Agriculture Swat, University of Engineering and Applied Sciences Swat, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Swat and University of Shangla too didn’t have regular vice-chancellors.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2024