KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the search committee constituted to discover a suitable candidate for the position of vice-chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences to finalise the name of VC within 20 days.

A two-judge bench also asked the authorities to replace the sitting head of the search committee, Fazalur Rahman, with some efficient and able officer. It also suspended the notification of reappointment of Prof Naushad A. Shaikh as VC.

The court was hearing the constitutional petitions of the Pakistan Medical Association and candidate Dr Saeed Qureshi against Dr Shaikh’s appointment.

Earlier, the bench had suspended the operation of the notification that made him VC on the previous petitions filed against Prof Shaikh’s appointment. But the petition was disposed of after the court was informed that the governor had withdrawn the notification that made Prof Shaikh VC.

However, the petitioners again moved the court stating that Prof Shaikh was once again appointed VC on Oct 26, 2015 as there was no change in the finding of a search committee constituted to discover a suitable candidate for the position.

According to them, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad, the chancellor, was earlier the competent authority for appointing vice chancellors of the government varsities. But according to the Sindh University and Institutes Laws (Amendment) Act 2014, the governor now has to take recommendations from a government committee to appoint vice chancellor of any varsity.

The petitioners contended that in order to find a suitable candidate for the post of vice chancellor, the varsity had constituted a search committee that received applications from 12 candidates, including Dr Qureshi. On Oct 2, they said, the committee forwarded a summary to the chief minister recommending Dr Qureshi for the position. The same day, however, the governor appointed Prof Shaikh, the petitioners added.

They argued that the appointment was a violation of Article 12(1) of the DUHS Ordinance 2004 as well as the amended Article 105 of the Constitution, as the governor had no authority to make any changes to the chief minister’s recommendations in this regard.

They asked the court to suspend the notification regarding Prof Shaikh’s appointment and also sought direction for the authorities concerned to consider Dr Qureshi for the post.

Sharjeel Memon’s plea against ECL

Another division bench was informed by the Federal Investigation Agency that the name of Pakistan Peoples Party leader and former information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon was placed on the exit control list on Nov 24, 2015.

The bench was hearing the petition of the PPP leader, who is currently living in self-exile to avoid arrest, against the placement of his name in the Exit Control List (ECL).

The National Accountability Bureau also filed its reply stating that the former information minister caused losses amounting to Rs5 billion to the national exchequer in the distribution of government advertisements.

Mr Memon had earlier filed two separate petitions, one seeking pre-arrest bail and the other for the removal of his name from the ECL.

The PPP MPA from Hyderabad stated in the petitions, filed late last year through his counsel, that since the law-enforcement and anti-corruption agencies had begun a crackdown on politicians, he had come to know through the media that NAB had initiated an inquiry against him with regard to alleged corruption during his recent tenure as information minister.

In its reply, NAB said that the investigation was being conducted against Mr Memon on a written complaint of one of the directors in the information ministry, Zeenat Jehan.

He approved advertisements worth Rs5 billion through five companies and Rs3 billion of the amount was siphoned off, NAB said, adding that he misused official authority in the distribution of ads for publication.

It said former information secretary Zulfiqar Shalwani and other officials, including Mansoor Rajpur, were also involved in the misappropriation of funds in the information department.

The bureau added that the names of Sharjeel Memon and Inam Akbar had been placed on the ECL.

According to the counsel for Mr Memon, his client apprehended arrest by the NAB authorities on the basis of graft inquiries and bar imposed on his travelling abroad if and when he returned to the country.

He said that neither the former information minister was involved in corrupt practices, nor had he misused power when in government. He said attempts were being made to implicate Mr Memon in false cases.

The counsel asked the court to restrain the NAB authorities from arresting him in connection with any inquiry or from taking any coercive action against him.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2016

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