October 01, 2006	Sunday	Ramazan 7, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: The appointment of a retired brigadier as vice-chancellor of Bolan University would exacerbate the feeling of deprivation among the teaching faculty throughout the country, the PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar warned on Saturday.

Barely a week ago the Higher Education Commission chairman had assured the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) that no ex-serviceman or retired government servant would be appointed as vice-chancellor in the future, the former senator said in a statement.

“HEC Chairman Prof Attaur Rehman must stand up and speak up,” he demanded.

FAPUASA was justified in protesting the appointment as it mocked at the assurance given to it, he said.

“It is a measure of the increasing militarisation of the civil society that hundreds of serving and retired military officers have been appointed in violation of service rules to lucrative civil posts ranging from heads of power distribution companies to water and sewage boards, from ambassadors to federal and provincial secretaries and from hospital administrators to heads of telecom authorities and to post offices,” he said.

Under the prescribe procedure, a ‘vice chancellors search committee’ is first set up with the consent of the governor.

The post is then advertised by the HEC in all leading national dailies, the applicant are short-listed and interviewed by the committee which then forwards three names to the governor. The governor can choose one of the three or ask for fresh recommendations.

He recalled that according to the HEC chairman, Pakistan had no university of world standing. “The appointment of retired army officers in violation of the rules and procedure as vice- chancellors will do incalculable damage to the standing of whatever few institutions that may be still left”.

He said Balochistan was a province whose Assembly passed a unanimous resolution in October 2002 against the setting up of new cantonments in the province and in October 2005 was reeling under the effects of a military crackdown.

“Under the circumstances the appointment of a retired military officer as vice-chancellor is also fraught with serious political implications and must be reviewed,” he said.