November 02, 2006	Thursday	Shawwal 9, 1427

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LAHORE; Nov 1: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi is expected to interview 15 candidates recommended by the Vice-Chancellors’ Search Committee for their appointment as vice-chancellors of seven public sector universities in the province.

After holding interviews and evaluating their curriculum vitae (CV), the CM will recommend the final candidates to Governor Khalid Maqbool for their appointment notification, it is learnt.

The search committee headed by Syed Babar Ali had interviewed some 50 candidates after short-listing them from over 100 applicants and finally recommended a panel of three candidates for each university except the Lahore College for Women University, where only two candidates were recommended for selection as vice-chancellor. According to this breakup, the number of candidates recommended is 20. But since five candidates have been recommended for two universities each, the actual number is 15.

Sources told Dawn that the search committee had recommended a panel of three candidates for the Government College University, Lahore, comprising Prof Dr Khalid Aftab, Dr Abdul Rauf Shakoori and Prof Dr Zikriya Butt.

For Lahore College for Women University, the committee recommended incumbent VC Prof Dr Bushra Mateen and Prof Dr Munawwar Mirza.

For University of Education, the committee recommended the names of Prof Dr Munawwar Mirza, Dr Muhammad Azam Khan and Dr Muhammad Akram Kashmiri.

For Bahauddin Zikariya University, Multan, the candidates are Dr Sher Israrul Haq, Dr Muhammad Zafarullah, and Dr Muhammad Akram Kashmiri.

For Government College University, Faisalabad, the selected panel comprises Dr Arif Ali Zaidi, Prof Dr Zikriya Butt and Dr Abdul Rauf Shakoori.

For Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, the committee recommended the names of Prof Dr Najma Najam, Dr Saeeda Asadullah Khan and Dr Asghari Maqsood.

For University of Sargodha, the committee recommended a panel comprising Dr Muhammad Azam Khan, Dr Jamil Anwar and Dr Muhammad Akram Chaudhry.

Those who have been recommended for more than one university are: Dr Abdul Rauf Shakoori and Prof Dr Zikriya Butt (GCU, Lahore and GCU, Faisalabad); Prof Dr Munawwar Mirza (LCWU and University of Education); Dr Muhammad Azam Khan (University of Education and University of Sargodha); and Dr Muhammad Akram Kashmiri (University of Education and Bahauddin Zikariya University, Multan).

The finalized panels for all the seven universities also show that the search committee had recommended only three incumbent vice-chancellors serving the Government College University, Lahore; Lahore College for Women University; and Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi.

The final panels of candidates do not include the names of incumbent vice-chancellors of University of Education, Lahore; Government College University, Faisalabad; and University of Sargodha. While the Bahauddin Zikariya University vice-chancellor Dr Naseer Khan had died in a plane crash earlier this year.

It is pertinent to mention that six out of five VCs had not applied for the posts while Lahore College for Women University vice-chancellor Prof Dr Bushra Mateen did submit her candidature.

However, sources said, some search committee members had given an understanding to incumbent vice-chancellors that they need not apply.

On the other hand, fresh candidates are spreading the word that it would be unfair and unethical to select those candidates who had never applied for the posts following the issuance of advertisements in newspapers.

When contacted, a senior education department official said a number of candidates had agitated this issue and the department also received several complaints in this regard. He also said that one candidate had also filed a writ in the court following search committee’s decision to call and interview the five incumbent VCs, who did not apply for the posts.

He said the chief minister would also consider this issue that why only one incumbent VC had applied, while five others did not apply apparently on the instructions of some search committee members.

“The whole process of selection of VCs beginning from entertaining of applications will be reviewed in the light of the committee’s minutes and the instructions issued by the Higher Education Commission,” the official added.