LAHORE: Some 3,000 admissions and millions of rupees collected in the form of fee deposits later, the fate of the Lahore Sub-Campus of the Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, hangs in balance.

The legal basis of the campus has been questioned and so far the strong protests and clarifications by the university administration have failed to rescue the project. There are allegations the BZU Lahore franchise has changed many hands due to some influential people’s search of greater ‘incentives.’

The Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) has questioned BZU Lahore Sub-Campus’ legal status telling the vice-chancellor that “the BZU, under Section 5 of its Act 1975, could not open its sub-campuses and operate outside its territorial limits of Multan and D.G. Khan divisions”.

On the other hand, the HED as well as BZU Syndicate members have questioned the BZU Multan administration for incorrectly circulating a decision that Syndicate members approved through circulation regarding the setting up of BZU Lahore Sub-Campus.

The sub-campus project was initiated by West Continental Education (WCE), owned by Shahzad Munawar, through its Project Director Aqeel Tufaili on Jan 19. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s close aide Zaeem Qadri was serving as a special assistant to chief minister on higher education when the whole episode of BZU Lahore campus began.

The influentials, for a better share allegedly, later joined hands with another investor party and got applicants’ titled changed as West Continental Group (WCG). The group signed a second MoU with BZU on March 12, through its two executive directors, Aqeel Tufaili and Muhammad Gulistan. Three days later, on March 15, a third MoU was signed.

Tufaili and Gulistan “sold” – on “cost” – their shares in the project to Tahir Iqbal Chaudhry (chairman) and Mazhar Iqbal Azeem (executive director). A new agreement deed was signed between BZU, represented by Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Syed Khawaja Alqama and Registrar Malik Munir, and WCG’s new party comprising Tahir Iqbal and Mazhar Iqbal on May 16. Later, Tahir and Mazhar also withdrew after receiving the “cost” from another investor party comprising Munir Ahmad Bhatti, his son Hamza Munir Bhatti as well as Abdul Aleem Bhatti and Rabia Bhatti.

Munir Bhatti tells Dawn he had paid Rs10 million to Tahir Iqbal for the piece of paper i.e. the agreement of partnership with the BZU, Multan.

By the time the clampdown came, the BZU Lahore campus had attracted 3,000 higher education aspirants through a massive advertisement campaign. The new administration says it had charged Rs60,000 per student on an average, but independent estimates put the average at more than Rs100,000.

The BZU registrar had on July 13 notified: “…the Syndicate by majority of votes approved the establishment of BZU Lahore Sub-Campus under public-private partnership with WCG with effect from fall semester 2013 and onward on the terms and conditions of revised Deed of Agreement duly approved by the Syndicate members through circulation”.

However, when asked to furnish evidence, the BZU administration could not provide the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) written statements/proof of the votes. “There is no proof that the establishment of the sub-campus was approved by a majority in the Syndicate on the basis of revised Deed of Agreement,” Punjab Higher Education Special Secretary Suhail Shahzad told Dawn.

One member told Dawn a majority in the Syndicate had in fact rejected the decision. “Only five of the 12 members, including the vice-chancellor, had voted in favour of the establishment of the sub-campus,” he said.

In a complaint lodged with the Punjab governor/chancellor, three Syndicate members have alleged that the university registrar had incorrectly recorded May 25 and 26 Syndicate meeting minutes. “The university staff has made a mockery of the Syndicate’s decisions,” the members complained. The governor has sought reply from the vice-chancellor.

The provincial higher education and finance departments had also objected to obtainment of Syndicate members’ consent through circulation saying it could not substitute for a Syndicate meeting as the nature of the case did not involve any emergency.

The Higher Education Commission has also written to all vice-chancellors that “no sub-campus, branch or outpost shall be established or franchised without the prior approval of the HEC”. The BZU Lahore Sub-Campus did not have this approval nor did it obtain NOCs from PEC, PBC, PMDC, and PPC before initiating engineering, law, physical therapy and pharmacy disciplines.

There were also complaints that students had been enrolled without following prescribed criteria of basic qualification as well as number of seats. Similarly, Syndicate members have objected to the operation of sub-campus accounts single-handedly by the sponsors.

Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashhood has also written to the vice-chancellor that the establishment of BZU sub-campus, prima facie, had not been processed by the university administration in accordance with the relevant laws. He said “the sub-campus should immediately be closed down till the finalisation of inquiry by the department”.

Some Syndicate members challenged the decision in the statutory body’s next meeting on Sept 5 and 6 and Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Syed Khawaja Alqama agreed to withdraw the July 13 “controversial notification” that suspended the functioning of the Lahore campus.

The BZU notified the fresh decision on Sept 19. It now said the Syndicate, in principle, had agreed to establish the varsity’s sub-campus in Lahore but constituted an eight-member committee to look into all aspects/legalities of the project. “At the maiden meeting of the committee just before Eidul Azha holidays members agitated against registrar for not bringing working paper and the relevant documents. No new date for committee meeting has so far been given by the university administration,” a committee member told Dawn.

The BZU Multan administration did not follow HED instructions to write a letter to the Lahore campus management or issued public notice in newspapers that the Syndicate had suspended functioning of the campus – taking plea that the campus management had challenged the decision in a civil court.

The HED, eventually, itself published public notices in newspapers regarding suspension of functioning of BZU sub-campus on Oct 4 and 5 and repeated on Nov 15.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) also conducted an inquiry into the matter and, according to informed sources, recommended action against BZU vice-chancellor and registrar as well as Lahore campus management for continuing to admit students despite legal hiccups in the establishment of the sub-campus and unlawfully handling accounts. (The Lahore campus chairman had single-handedly drawn Rs21 million on Sept 26 alone).

BZU VC Prof Alqama told Dawn the Lahore sub-campus’ functions were suspended till the report of the Syndicate’s sub-committee, which had been provided all the relevant documents, and was scheduled to hold its meeting on Dec 27 or 28. He said the complainants were now the members of the Syndicate committee and could themselves discuss and decide the legality or illegality of the Lahore sub-campus.

Prof Alqama said the Punjab governor/chancellor had not sought reply on Syndicate members’ complaint but sought opinion for the formulation of guidelines for the establishment of sub-campuses.

BZU Lahore Sub-Campus Chairman Munir Ahmad Bhatti tells Dawn the Punjab government got the campus’ operations suspended to stop admissions, when the Canal Campus was attracting a large number of students. “We continued admitting students after obtaining stay order from the court,” he added. He said that he also smelled a conspiracy that the Syndicate committee’s meeting was not being convened. “The whole campaign against the sub-campus has been lodged because he did not agree to grease palms of some elements in the government,” Munir alleges.

Now, he said, one half of the campus had been sealed by the Lahore Development Authority and he was contesting his case in the courts.

He said the BZU Sub-Campus was established on partnership basis and the parent varsity was supposed to receive 10 per cent of the sub-campus revenue. He said the sub-campus had enrolled some 3,000 students with average dues of Rs60,000 per student. He said he had invested around Rs1 billion in terms of two Lahore sub-campuses and state-of-the-art facilities.

Answering a question, he said now his son Hamza was the partner in the project and he himself was operating the bank accounts. Answering another question, he said Prof Alqama’s son-in-law Khawaja Adil’s services were hired by the sub-campus for setting up of laboratories and admitted the appointment was being considered as an undue favour to the VC.

A Syndicate member told Dawn the university had called Syndicate’s meeting on Dec 27 and 28.