KARACHI: A major change in the election history of Karachi University of Teachers’ Society (Kuts) was witnessed on Thursday when the teachers’ forum that has been winning annual elections for more than a decade lost key posts to a recently formed alliance of teachers groups.

The Teachers’ Alliance for Good Governance (Tagg) formed against Karachi University Teachers’ Forum (KUTF) won the seats of president (Dr Shakeel-ur-Rehman Farooqi of the Department of Genetics), vice president (Dr Shah Aliual Qadr of the Dr A.Q. Khan Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering), joint secretary and treasurer (Mohsin Ali of the Department of Chemistry), besides winning six slots in the 15-member executive council of the society.

Election results show that Dr Farooqi secured 355 votes against Prof Mutahir Ahmed (249) while Dr Aliual Qadr won with 303 votes against Dr Mudasiruddin (302). Mohsin Ali (Tagg) got elected as treasurer with 339 votes against Dr Intikhab Ulfat of KUTF (255 votes). The alliance, however, lost the secretary seat that was won by Moiz Khan (338 votes) against Usama Shafiq (264). The joint secretary post was shared by Ghufran Alam of the KUTF and Sarwat Afshan of Tagg.

Prof Haris Shoaib, Dr Farhan Ahmed Siddiqui, Prof Anila Ambar Malik, Prof S. M. Taha, Nadeem Ahmed Khan, Munazza Madni, Dr Basit Ansari, Uzma Ashiq, and Dr Tanveer, all representing KUTF, got elected as executive council members.

Successful executive council members of Tagg were: Dr Maqsood Ansari, Prof Majid Mumtaz, Dr Waqar Ahmed, Dr Afaq Ahmed Siddiqui, Dr Zafar Iqbal Shams and Dr Riaz Ahmed.

It was after many years that only two groups were in the run for the Kuts elections. The alliance comprising both right-wing and left-wing teachers earlier had their own groups to contest the polls.

“We believe that maladministration has ruined the university and our first priority would be to bring our house in order. Also, we will ask the provincial government to treat KU at par with other universities of Sindh and release funds which have already been given to other institutions,” said Dr Shakeel Farooqi, who has been thrice elected to the slot of Kuts secretary.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2015