LAHORE: Punjab University (PU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Nasira Jabeen on Tuesday constituted a three-member committee to investigate allegations against the provisional registrar of changing corrigendum of the 1,725th meeting of the syndicate.

Earlier, syndicate members Prof Dr Sajid Rasheed and Dr Mehboob Hussain had written to VC Nasira alleging that Registrar/syndicate Secretary Dr Khalid Khan had changed corrigendum of the 1,725th meeting of the body illegally, arbitrarily, maliciously and without any authority.

The corrigendum available with Dawn shows that the registrar added a dissent note in agenda item numbers 11 and 13 and also deleted proceedings of agenda item 3.

According to rules, the proceedings of syndicate meetings are confirmed/corrected in the very next meeting of the body by placing the previous proceedings on agenda item 1. While approving the same, if corrections are needed, the same are recorded in the proceedings of the next meeting of the syndicate under agenda item 1.

The VC constituted an inquiry committee led by Chairperson Dr Tahira Sikandar and including Maulana Raghib Naeemi and a nominee of the higher education secretary.

The Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) also demanded the government remove the provisional registrar for allegedly changing corrigendum of syndicate meeting. PUASA President Dr Mehboob Hussain, Secretary Dr Asghar Iqbal and others were present in the body’s meeting held on Tuesday.

The association said the registrar was appointed on provisional basis during the tenure of former VC Dr Moeen Zaffar. They alleged that the registrar was involved in changing corrigendum, selection board proceedings and other administrative matters. He was also involved in humiliating the professors and lecturers of the varsity, they added.

Dr Hussain said the university had not yet issued the proceedings of the April 14 meeting of the syndicate. He demanded release of the proceedings to implement the decisions taken therein.

On the other hand, Registrar Khalid Khan denied allegations of changing the corrigendum of the syndicate meeting and said he possessed recordings and minutes of the meeting and would present them before the inquiry committee.

He also claimed that he had added the dissent notes in the corrigendum after receiving letters from the relevant syndicate members.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2018