MULTAN: The chairman of Bahauddin Zakariya University, Lahore Campus, has requested the Lahore High Court (LHC) to order an inquiry into the ‘financial scam’ committed by the university administration and the faculty in the name of quality of education to B-Tech students.

In his civil miscellaneous petition, lodged through his counsel, Abid Saqi and Chaudhry Ghulam Sarwar Nihung, BZU Lahore Campus Chairman Munir Ahmad Bhatti stated the B-Tech students of Lahore sub-campus were shifted to the main campus in Multan on the LHC order issued on March 28.

He said the BZU registrar had issued a letter for the appointment of part-time teachers for the semester III, IV and VII for the sub-campus students in the department of Civil Engineering at the University College of Engineering and Technology. The college principal was assigned 11 courses comprising of 113 contact hours per week for the spring semester year commencing from Feb 13, 2017.

Mr Munir said Dr Latif also taught two courses of 10 contact fours to the students of 8th semester of BSc Civil Engineering at the same time while he also taught one course of nine contact hours to the students of BSc Civil Engineering NFC Institute of Engineering Technology University. He stated that Dr Latif taught 144 hours out of total 168 hours a week with average of 20.5 hours per day.

“How he (Dr Latif) can ensure his presence at the same time at two places in some cases at three places,” the petitioner asked in his plea. He said the payment to be received by Dr Latif for the semester was Rs2.112m besides his regular salary. He stated a member syndicate, Dr Tahir Sultan, taught 116 contact hours total with the average of 16.5 hours per day out of 168 hours in a week of seven days and the total payment to be received by Dr Sultan was Rs1.384m other than regular salary.

He alleged that the objective of shifting Lahore sub-campus students to the main campus was only to make money for high-ups of the BZU and demanded an inquiry by an officer of the Higher Education Department into the matter.

The court will take the matter on next date of hearing of the case on Nov 13.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2017