PESHAWAR, March 16: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is looking into allegations of plagiarism levelled against the Vice-Chancellor of University of Peshawar, Dr Azmat Hayat Khan.

Dr Khan, a former director of the Area Study Centre here, has been accused by a teacher of the university's law college, Mohammad Zubair, of including in his book — titled “The Durand Line: Its Geo Strategic Importance” and published in 2000 by Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar, and Hans Seidel Foundation — some passages from the book “Pak-Afghanistan Relations” written by Dr Kulwant Kaur of Jammu University, Jammu, and published by Deep and Deep Publications in 1985. Copies of both the books are available with .

According to Mr Zubair, substantial portions of the introduction in Dr Khan's book are quite similar to some paragraphs of the extract of a book titled “Sir Mortimer Durand”, authored by Brig-Gen Sir P. Sykes and published in 1926 by Cassell and Company Limited, London. Mr Zubair has submitted a formal complaint over the issue to the HEC.

When contacted, Dr Khan said he had consulted India Office Library like many other researchers and his references might match those of some other scholars. However, he described the allegations against him “politically motivated”.

“I took action as vice-chancellor against a teacher for taking part in a demonstration,” said Dr Khan, adding that this could be the main reason for the complaint against him.

A spokesman for the university said that it was unfortunate and shameful on the part of “perpetrators” who might have been his (Dr Khan's) students at some stage of their studies at the university.

“The accusations show their mala fide intentions,” he said. He said the source of the allegations seemed to be people who had been warned by the vice-chancellor not to indulge in political activities on the campus.