FAISALABAD: Rector of the National Textile University has appointed his ‘favourites’ on important posts on hefty packages without advertising the positions or seeking approval of the board of governors (BoG), sources told Dawn.

These people, who were said to be above the eligibility age of 60 years, were appointed on a contract basis in May and the first advertisement regarding the vacancies was issued only recently. They have been serving in different departments for months and to avoid action against them the administration is trying to bring the case to the BoG meeting scheduled for the first week of January.

BoG member Mian Latif said all appointments had been made following recommendations of a university committee, however, the board would meet on Jan 5 and look into the issue. He alleged some unscrupulous elements in the university were creating hurdles for the administration and trying to use the management for personal gains.

Sources said Rector Dr Arshad Ali had recruited retired Col Naseem Akhtar, aged above 60 years, as admin and human resource deputy registrar. They said Col Akhtar had clipped powers of Registrar Dr Mohammad Ishfaq, who was working on contract that was going to expire in a couple of weeks.

Posts filled in May, advertised only recently

Requirements for the deputy registrar’s post mentioned in the advertisement were allegedly designed specifically to suit Col Akhtar’s profile so his contract could be extended. The requirements included retired officers from armed forces or a masters degree with at least 18 years or bachelors degree with at least 15 years of experience of working in public/private sector organisation in a responsible position.

Other ‘favourites’ included Abdul Basit, who was serving as personal secretary to the rector; another retired armed forces man, Ziaur Rehman, as an electrical and mechanical engineering consultant, who was believed to be a senior of Dr Ali; Haider Abbas Zaidi as a training consultant; retired commander Liaquat Ali as deputy registrar and Altaf Hussain as industrial liaison deputy director.

Other appointments included chief security officer, assistant professor, lecturers, security guards, CCTV camera operators, office assistants, account assistant and supervisor security.

Some faculty members requesting anonymity said Col Akhtar and a lecturer were in the same grade, but the former army man was getting more than Rs100,000 and the lecturer only Rs41,000. Similarly, Basit’s grade was equal to that of an office assistant. The university was paying Rs18,000 to Rs24,000 to office assistants in various departments, but Basit was getting Rs52,000 as well as an official vehicle and accommodation.

They further claimed the administration had first placed its favourite people on various positions and was now making efforts to get the approval of BoG. They also said all the ‘favourites’ had been hired on hefty packages in sheer violation of the university rules.

Rector Dr Ali said: “All hiring have been made in accordance with university regulations and in line with university statutes. It is quite unfortunate that our media tries to give a negative twist to everything. There are many positive developments the media needs to look at.”

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2015