ISLAMABAD: Comsats University faculty protested ad hocism at the university and the interim’s management decision to suspend the president of the Academic Staff Council on Monday.

Prof Dr Mehnaz Haseeb was suspended by the university’s interim management for criticising the acting setup of the university, the protesting faculty members said.

In addition to suspending Dr Haseeb, the management has also issued show-cause notices to around 20 faculty members for holding a meeting of the Academic Staff Council.

The university is currently being run by interim Rector Prof Dr Raheel Qamar, acting Registrar Dr Fahim A. Qureshi and others who hold interim charge, protesters said.

Professor suspended, around 20 faculty members issued show-cause notices by university administration

They said faculty members want these posts filled as soon as possible, but the university’s senate has not been formed for six months. The institution’s other key forum, the university syndicate, is also filled with acting and interim charge-holders.

The protesters also claimed that Dr Haseeb was suspended ‘illegally’. They said she did nothing wrong by chairing the Academic Staff Council meeting to discuss issues facing the university and faculty.

Protesters also alleged that the management was misusing benevolent and contributing provident funds.

This allegation was dismissed outright by the registrar, who told Dawn the university would welcome audits of these two funds.

Meanwhile, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has demanded that the president – who is also the chancellor of federally chartered universities, prime minister, education minister and Higher Education Commission chairman take notice of the victimisation of faculty members at federally chartered universities.

FAPUASA Islamabad chapter President Dr Sohail Yousaf said in a statement that public sector universities are being governed like private property.

“The nepotism, corruption and out of merit appointments at top slots in higher education institutes has spoiled overall teaching and research culture of higher education in Pakistan,” he said, and strongly condemned the “illegal” suspension of Dr Haseeb on charges of an illegal faculty gathering.

Dr Yousaf also demanded that the vacant post of Comsats rector be advertised as soon as possible, and in the meantime the interim setup should only look after day-to-day affairs.

He said the meeting of the Comsats syndicate by the complete interium setup of the university was also illegal, and the chancellor should take notice of the illegalities, the victimisation of faculty and the stoppage of their salaries by the interim rector.

In a statement, the university has claimed that since the Comsats Institute of Information Technology was upgraded to Comsats University in April, a disgruntled group of faculty members with a vested agenda have organised themselves as the Academic Staff Council, which was an illegal body with no statutory support in the Comsats University Act 2018.

“This group of disgruntled faculty members on Monday staged a meeting on campus and organized a protest walk on campus premises under the banner of the ASC, inciting other faculty members to join the banned outfit and disturb the university discipline,” the statement read.

It said the university administration while taking strict action against this unauthorised assembly and other illegal actions by the illegal council aimed at disrupting the university’s productive environment had suspended the purported head of the organisation, Dr Haseeb, for being unable to explain the reasons for this incitement.

The university has also issued letters to officials found involved in promoting the illegal body on campus premises to explain themselves, it said.

Comsats University is in the transition phase, Mr Qureshi – the interim registrar – said. This includes framing new rules, statues and regulations under prescribed rules under the aforementioned act.

In this instance, he said, elements among the employees were creating unrest among faculty members and students acting on the vested agenda of a few faculty members.

Dr Qamar, the interim rector, said the disturbance of academic and research activities would not be tolerated.

He said all issues must be resolved through discussion, which the university administration has always supported, and university discipline must be maintained.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2018