FAISALABAD: The Punjab government has appointed the pro-vice chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) against the policy as under the rules only the tenured faculty members can be appointed to administrative posts.

On Wednesday last, Dr Zafar Iqbal, dean of sociology department, was made the pro-VC.

The university has already Dr Iqrar Ahmed as its acting VC. The Punjab government appointed him on Jan 27 when he retired after attaining the age of superannuation. Now Dr Iqbal has been posted as pro-VC while the role of both acting and pro-VCs is the same.

Dr Iqbal is considered a close associate of Dr Iqrar Ahmed and he (Iqbal) had been serving as acting head of the institute in absence of Dr Ahmed.

In his response in the recent case, Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir versus Punjab government, in the Lahore High Court, Agriculture Secretary Mohammad Mahmood had said, “The Governor’s Secretariat forwarded instructions of the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, under which only tenured faculty member can be appointed on administrative posts and that in case a faculty member on tenure track system assumes administrative post, such period may not be counted towards his Tenure Track Service and during that period, he will not be eligible to draw TTS salary.”

Section 15-A (1) of the UAF Act has a provision for the pro-VC slot. It indicates that the chancellor shall nominate the pro-VC of the university from among three senior most professors of the university for a term of three years. Though Dr Iqbal is among the three senior most professors but he is not tenured. He has been posted by ignoring the senior professors who are also among the tenured faculty.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Naeem Akhtar Bhabha, who is also the pro-chancellor of the UAF, said he was unaware of the appointment of the pro-VC or any order in this regard. He said he had no knowledge of any kind of violation of the government instructions or when the summery for the pro-VC was moved to the Punjab government.

To a query that secretary had submitted that tenured faculty members were eligible to hold administrative posts, however, practically, he had done otherwise, the minister said he would discuss the issue with the secretary on Thursday.

On Thursday, the minister was reminded for his reply, however, he did not respond.

The secretary agriculture was also contacted for his comments; however, he was not available.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2017