LAHORE: An inquiry conducted by the Punjab Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) has found the vice chancellor of University of Sargodha (UoS) guilty of making illegal appointments and irregularities.

Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, in the light of the inquiry report, appointed Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) Irum Bukhari as ‘hearing officer’ to give an opportunity of personal hearing to UoS VC Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed.

A civil society member, Muhammad Tariq Qureshi, had lodged a complaint with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, regarding “illegal” appointments (made without advertising jobs) and “corruption” against UoS VC Dr Ahmed.

He alleged that certain administrative measures taken by the VC had brought down the ranking of the university from eighth position to 37th in the country and turned a self-sufficient institution into a burden on the national exchequer.

He stated the varsity was facing financial crunch because the VC had closed down several revenue generating projects, including a clean drinking water project ‘Khush Aab’, University Medical Complex (of 200 beds) and an Industrial Pharmaceutical Unit.

He further alleged that the varsity had made appointments against 22 different posts of BS-17 and above without issuing any advertisement in newspapers (mandatory under the University Act) and appointed most of his relatives and friends.

The CMIT had launched an inquiry on the complaint and submitted its findings and recommendations to the chief minister.

The report available with Dawn states, UoS VC Dr Ahmed closed down the projects without cost-benefit analysis and third-party validation due to lack of experience in financial management and misused his authority.

It says the focal person appointed by VC to coordinate with the National Accountability Bureau did not provide complete information of illegal appointments to the bureau and UoS Additional Registrar Anwar Ahmed also submitted a sketchy statement to the CMIT on the issue.

The inquiry team also finds that the VC had tried to prevent a person from recording his statement who was summoned by the CMIT in an inquiry assigned by the chief minister. The decision of repatriation of that person to his parent department on the date of hearing “speaks volumes of lack of knowledge of power and functions of CMIT mentioned in the Rules of Business, 2011, deputation policy and “authoritative” attitude of Dr Ahmed.

The report says that Dr Ahmed incurred huge expenditure by appointing six legal advisors on heavy fee which is unjustifiable. It is also on record that the post of legal advisor does not exist in the Service Statutes, 2006.

It states, UoS VC has committed inefficiency and misconduct, besides showing a lack of financial and administrative control and legal sense.

It says the VC not only disobeyed the orders of the Governor/Chancellor but also initiated litigation against him for not approving appointments made in violation of rules.

It states, Dr Ahmed not only made illegal appointments but also promoted the appointees illegally and posted them against important slots in contravention of instruction of higher education department (HED) and auditor general of Pakistan. The NAB focal person, Ijaz Asghar, has also been illegally appointed, it states, adding that he only presented the record of only previous regimes to the bureau.

The CMIT recommended that all administrative orders passed by the vice chancellor seemed to be illegal and should be reviewed.

It recommends that Dr Ahmed should be repatriated to Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad, immediately and departmental proceedings be initiated against him under relevant law on account of inefficiency, misconduct within the meaning of misuse of powers, making and allowing the illegal appointments, flouting the HED’s instructions regarding de-notification of illegal appointments and other corrupt practices.

Action should also be taken against focal person Ijaz Asghar and UoS Additional Registrar Anwar Ahmed for providing incomplete information to NAB and CMIT, it suggests.

The report also recommends special audit of the UoS.

It says HED should appoint an officer to send all record regarding illegal appointments to NAB for and recommends cancellation of these appointments, either made by the current or previous VCs.

Sources in HED say the department has handed over all the record to the hearing officer Ms Bukhari and awaits further directions.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2020