LAHORE: The Punjab government will decide on Wednesday (today) whether to challenge or implement the Lahore High Court’s decision of striking down the appointment of acting vice chancellors (VCs) at four public universities of the province and initiating process for the induction of new incumbent.

“Today we received the court’s 87-page order and called a meeting for Wednesday (today) to decide whether to implement the court’s order or to file an appeal against it,” Punjab Higher Education Minister Syed Raza Ali Gilani told Dawn on Tuesday.

Mr Gilani said a lawyers’ team, headed by the Punjab advocate general, would brief the government over the matter.

“The court’s decision is one-sided but it does not mean that we are not accepting it. These varsities are autonomous bodies and entitled to run their affairs,” the minister commented.

The court had announced the verdict on Dec 1 to appoint the most senior professors as acting VCs at the four universities in seven days and re-advertise the vacancies and complete the appointment process in one month.

Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has been working as acting VC at the Punjab University, Prof Dr Uzma Qureshi at the Lahore College for Women’s University, Prof Dr Nazra Sultana at the University of Sargodha and Prof Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid at the Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology of Multan.

On the other hand, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has written to the governors/chancellors of the provinces regarding the appointments of VCs in accordance with the LHC order.

The LHC had also ordered the HEC to appoint the most senior professors as acting VCs at the four universities within seven days and re-advertise the vacancies and complete the appointment process within one month. The court also struck down amendments introduced by nine other public universities of Punjab relating to eligibility criteria for the VC slot.

“We have written to the chancellors of four provinces about criteria to appoint VCs in public universities in the light of the LHC order,” HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed told Dawn. He said the HEC had also been in contact with the Punjab Higher Education Department regarding the appointment of new VC of these four universities within a month. Under the court’s order the HEC will now constitute a separate search committee for the appointment of VC in each public university.

Published in Dawn December 14th, 2016