LAHORE, July 11: There seems to be no end to the dispute over the registration of the Punjab University employees’ housing society either under the cooperative or company’s laws, as vice-chancellor Arshad Mahmood constituted the fourth committee to settle the issue at the syndicate meeting here on Tuesday.

Sources said the VC objected to the recommendations presented by a sub-committee, citing that these should have been tabled through the main land and management committee.

Institute of Engineering and Technology director Prof Arif Butt heads the sub-committee and the land management one. The PU general body had also constituted a seven-member committee, headed by Prof Sajid Ali, in this regard.

The sub-committee recommended that the housing society should be registered under the cooperative laws and an employee’s welfare foundation under the society’s act.

Mass Communication department associate professor Dr Mujahid Ali Mansoori presented a note of dissent, saying no new committee could be formed in the presence of the existing ones. He said the formation of the new committee was tantamount to delaying the matter.

Justice (retired) Sardar Iqbal, another syndicate member, said there was no justification for registering the housing society under the company’s ordinance as a private limited.

The new six-member committee comprises Law College Principal Prof Dil Muhammad Malik (head), who is also heading a committee probing the plagiarism charges against five PU teachers, Centre for Higher Energy Physics’ Prof Haris Rashid, Pharmacy College Principal Dr Muhammad Jamshed, Registrar Prof Muhammad Naeem, controller Dr Zahid Taqi Butt and treasurer Abdus Sattar.

The committee will hire a legal expert to draft the recommendations and submit them to the vice-chancellor in the first week of next month.

The PU had acquired about 2,318 kanals from the Punjab Cooperative Board of Liquidation for developing a housing society on Raiwind Road for its teaching and non-teaching staff in 2002.

The PU administration’s decision to register the society under the Company Ordinance 1984 as a private limited company had stirred panic among the employees and teachers last year.

Sources said the administration had failed to undo the process of the society’s registration under the company ordinance, which was creating doubts about the legality of the initiative.

Under the ordinance, Arshad Mahmood has been issued 100 shares out of the 110 subscribed shares of society as an individual and not in his capacity as VC of the varsity.

For any future issuance of shares, the majority shareholder (Mr Mahmood) would have full control over the affair. According to the company’s ordinance, the majority shareholder can have the Board of Directors of his choice as he holds 91 per cent shares of the company. It virtually gives him a dictatorial role to run the affairs of the company. —ZULQERNAIN TAHIR