GUJRAT: The Punjab government has nominated eight members of the Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC).

The nominations have been notified by the provincial Higher Education Department (HED) with the approval of the chief minister for a period of four years or till the completion of the tenure as an official.

Professor Dr Khalid Masood Gondal, vice chancellor of the King Edward Medical University, Lahore, and Professor Dr Athar Mahboob, VC of the Islamia University, Bahawalpur, have been nominated against the seats of a professional university and any other university, respectively.

Professor Dr Arif Nazeer Butt of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Professor Dr Khalid Aftab, former VC of Govenrment College University, Lahore and Professor Naazish Atta, former principal of National College of Arts (NCA), Lahore, have been nominated against three seats reserved for eminent academicians whereas Mian Muhammad Haneef, Chairman of Madina Foundation, is nominated against the seat reserved for an industrialist.

Former PML-Q provincial minister for education Mian Imran Masood has been nominated as a member of the PHEC against the seat of a private university VC, since he has been the VC of University of South Asia, Lahore, whereas PML-Q MPA Sajid Ahmed Bhatti fom Mandi Bahauddin is nominated against the lone MPA seat.

A four times member of the Punjab Assembly from Gujrat city, Imran Masood has a vast experience of serving in the education sector first as the chairman of education task force of the then PML-N govenrment from 1997-1999 and then served as education minister for five years in the cabinet of Chaudhry Pervez Elahi (2002 to 2007).

He withdrew his candidature for the Punjab Assembly seat of Gujrat city in July 2018 elections as per the seat adjustment formula of his party (PML-Q) with the PTI.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2019