KARACHI: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, in his capacity as chancellor of public sector universities in the province, appointed Dr Noshad A. Sheikh as vice chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Tuesday.

Dr Sheikh is currently working as the vice chancellor of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS).

“On the advice of the government [Sindh chief minister] and in exercise of the powers vested in him under Section 12 (1) of Dow University of Health Sciences Act 2004 (as amended), the governor of Sindh/chancellor is pleased to appoint Dr Noshad A. Sheikh as vice chancellor of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, for the period of four years with immediate effect,” says a notification issued from the governor’s secretariat on Tuesday.

Dr Sheikh has been appointed DUHS VC for a second time in a short span of one month.

The Sindh High Court had suspended the appointment order on a petition filed by the Pakistan Medical Association and Dr Saeed Qureshi, a top candidate for the post of DUHS vice chancellor recommended by a 12-member search committee.

The petitioners had argued that the search committee constituted for the appointment of the VC had recommended Dr Qureshi as the top candidate for the post. The chief minister forwarded the summary based on the committee’s recommendation, but the governor changed the recommendations and appointed Dr Sheikh instead of Dr Qureshi. Later, government representatives told the court that Dr Noshad’s appointment order had been withdrawn upon which the petition was disposed of.

Dr Mohammad Qaiser, the incumbent vice chancellor of Karachi University, and Dr Umer Farooq, the pro vice chancellor of DUHS, were also appointed acting vice chancellors of the university for a short while following the retirement of Dr Masood Hameed as DUHS vice chancellor last month.

Dr Hameed completed three terms, each term of four years, at the DUHS.

“The re-appointment of Dr Shaikh is a severe violation of merit given the fact that Dr Qureshi was the top candidate for the slot. But we are not going to the court against the decision because the chief minister has the authority to choose one of the three names recommended to him for the post by the search committee,” said Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, PMA-central general secretary.

However, he added, the association would seek the court’s intervention if Dr Sheikh did not leave post of LUMHS vice chancellor.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2015

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