ISLAMABAD: The appointment of Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairperson has become a droll as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected the search committee for the second time and instructed the relevant authorities to form a new committee and send the names of the candidates again.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has refused to head the new selection committee because his work with the previous body was rejected, Dawn has learnt.

The HEC is the only regulatory body of higher educational institutions and is responsible for improving the standard of university education.

It has been operating without a permanent chairman since August 26, 2013, when the first four-year term of Dr Javaid Laghari ended.

Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gilani, the vice-chancellor, University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, was given the acting charge of HEC chairman on November 9, 2013.

An officer of the Ministry of Education, requesting not to be identified, said that in December 2013, a five-member search committee headed by Ahsan Iqbal was constituted for the appointment of the HEC chairperson.

“But on the orders of the prime minister, in January 2014 a new committee headed by Ahsan Iqbal was constituted.

Dr Ishrat Hussain and Dr M.B. Shami were members of the new committee,” he said.

“As many as 103 applications have been received for the post, out of which 19 names were short-listed and interviews were held on February 10 and 11. Three names were selected and sent to the prime minister for final nomination,” he added.

According to a member of the search committee, four points were considered at the time of selection of the candidates.

“The first point was that the candidate should be a PhD from a well-known university; second, the candidate should have an experience of teaching at the higher education level and thirdly he should neither be controversial nor have had any allegation of corruption levelled against him.

The fourth point was that the candidate should not be very old because the chairperson has to move all over the country so he should be energetic,” the officer said.

“According to sources in the PM Office, the prime minister was not satisfied with the process of appointment and nomination of the three candidates; and on his instructions, a new committee was established,” he said.

“Ahsan Iqbal is the head of the new search committee and its members are Minister of State for Education Balighur Rehman, Federal Minister Zahid Hamid, Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatmi and an officer from the PM Office,” he added.

A candidate who had applied for the post of the HEC chairperson, requesting anonymity, said because of the presence of politicians and bureaucrats in the committee, applicants have concerns regarding the transparency in the appointment process.

“Only eminent scholars and academicians should be nominated as members of the search committee, headed by Ahsan Iqbal, because only that is how selection can be made on merit,” he said.

Founding HEC chairperson Dr Attaur Rahman told Dawn that under the act of the HEC, eminent educationist should be appointed as its chairperson.

“There should not be any representation of politicians in the search committee because only that is how the appointment on merit can be ensured,” he said. Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal confirmed that all the names sent to the PM Office had been rejected.

“I have gotten the instruction that a new search committee has been formed, in which different politicians and bureaucrats will be the members, and I will have to chair the committee,” he said.

“I have excused from becoming the head of the committee because if new candidates will be selected, it means that either my decision was wrong before or it will be wrong this time. So I will not become the head of the committee,” he added.