HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah has sent Sindh University (SU) Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Fateh Mohammad Burfat on forced leave so that he cannot exercise any undue interference in the proceedings of the inquiry against him to be conducted by a two-member committee.

Comprising Planning and Development Board Chairman Mohammad Wasim and Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) VC Prof Dr Mohammad Aslam Uqaili, the probe body will conduct the investigation against Burfat and submit a report within 30 days.

Three notifications were issued on Sept 14 with the approval of the CM Sindh by Universities and Boards Secretary Mohammad Riazuddin.

According to one notification for the inquiry committee, it would probe the allegations of gross misconduct, inefficiency, corruption, violation of budgetary provisions, moral turpitude, maladministration and mismanagement against Prof Burfat and the probe would be finalised within 30 days for submission to the CM.

Through the another notification, Dr Mohammad Siddique Kalhoro has been appointed as acting VC of Sindh University in addition to his own duties as pro-VC Laar campus in Badin while the CM sent Mr Burfat on leave for one month through the third notification unless the probe completes.

Mr Burfat, who is currently on interim pre-arrest bail from the provincial anti-corruption court, would now seek confirmation of the pre-arrest bail on Sept 16.

He told Dawn on Monday evening that he had not handed over the charge of SU to Dr Siddique Kalhoro yet as nobody had asked him to do that.

He said he was consulting with his legal adviser in view of the situation arising out of those notifications. He said he had been told that under the Universities Act, a VC could not be asked to proceed on leave. Unless the committee completed its findings and submitted its recommendation, he could not be removed, he added.

He said he had also approached SU’s Faculty of Law dean Mr Jhamat Jethanand in that regard, but contact could not be established with him.

A similar committee was earlier formed headed by Naheed Durrani. Later, she was transferred and her committee could not hold a probe against VC Burfat who filed a number of petitions in Sindh High Court (SHC). But the court dismissed his petitions and those of others through a detailed order on March 10, observing that the VC was avoiding facing probe and he did not come before the court with clean hands.

Recently, a SHC division bench rejected his petition seeking cancellation of the FIR lodged against him by the circle officer of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) department.

The VC claimed that he had to be heard by a committee first in line with Universities Act and before that he could not be removed. The probe against him was initiated by ACE deputy director Zamir Abbasi under directives of the Sindh chief minister when some SU teachers and civil society members had called on CM and sought the probe.

The ACE detected an alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of funds of over Rs738.593m in just one fiscal of 2017-2018 under SU’s various heads. Besides the VC, 66 others, including registrar, former registrars, pro VCs and deans, were booked. One accused teacher has already been arrested.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2020