GUJRAT: Several key posts in the University of Gujrat (UoG) are being run by the officials either on a look after or acting charge basis for long.

The posts include registrar, treasurer, controller examination, the Nawaz Sharif Medical College (NSMC) principal and the principals of varsity’s city campuses (four colleges).

Official sources said the regular appointment of the officials on these vacancies was being avoided to keep pressure of vice chancellor’s office on these look after charge officials so that the administration could force them for the compliance of all orders issued by the VC.

Dr Tahir Aqeel, who is the director Quality Enhancement Cell (QEC) of the UoG, had earlier been appointed registrar on a regular basis. His tenure was completed more than one year ago and he is serving as registrar on a look after basis since then.

Similarly, the all-important post of treasurer is being held by Abdul Waheed Butt for the last more than three years on a look after basis and as per varsity sources, Mr Butt is considered a confidante of the vice chancellor and had signed a controversial TA/DA bill of VC Dr Ziaul Qayyum’s visit to Norway some three years ago.

The VC had to refund the TA/DA after the then secretary higher education department (HED) had taken notice of media reports.

Prof Dr Danish of the chemistry department has been serving as controller examination on a look after basis for the last more than one year despite his request to the VC to let him relinquish to enable him to concentrate on his research.

NSMC Principal Dr Attique has also been working on an acting charge basis like his predecessors Dr Zafar Iqbal Gill, Dr Mirajul Siraj and Dr Sajjad.

Successive deputy commissioners during the last few years have also tried their best to resolve the issues about the administration of the NSMC and its teaching hospital -- Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital (ABSTH) -- and even it was recommended to the provincial health department by the district administrations to grant autonomy to the NSMC but to no avail.

UoG’s director media and spokesman Sheikh Rasheed said the varsity administration had tried its level best to fill these key posts through advertisements and selection boards were also held but these could not make any appointment.

However, he said, the posts would soon be filled as a search committee had conducted the fresh interviews of candidates for these posts in Islamabad.

As for the issue of the NSMC’s principal, the UoG statute authorises the VC to appoint any of the faculty members of the medical college as principal on an acting charge basis and there is no provision of appointment of a regular principal, the spokesman said.

A source said the search committee comprising the UoG and Allama Iqbal Open University vice chancellors and former PML-N MPA Moin Nawaz was not approved in the last meeting of the syndicate.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2018