ISLAMABAD: A committee formed by the senate of Comsats University Islamabad (CUI) has declared all promotions made by the selection board in 2017-18 without fulfilling the criteria illegal. The committee recommended the withdrawal of the promotion letters and fixing responsibility against those who violated rules and made the promotions.

The recommendations of the subcommittee are going to be taken up by the senate of CUI which will meet on Wednesday with President Dr Arif Alvi in the chair.

“Responsibility may be fixed; the recommendations against all promotions/appointments made by the Selection Board may not be approved and all promotion letters be withdrawn from its date of issuance,” read the recommendations of the subcommittee, available with Dawn.

The committee recommended the saidpenalty while deciding the fate of promotions without advertisment by the Selection Board in its 29th meeting.

The recommendations of the committee could affect at least 63 employees of the university, sources told Dawn.

According to the minutes of the subcommittee’s second meeting, in almost all such cases in which promotions were made in violations of rules, the committee recommended that responsibility should be fixed and the promotion letters should be withdrawn.

The three-member subcommittee was headed by Federal Secretary Ministry of Science and Technology retired Capt Nasim Nawaz and comprised Prof Dr Tasawwar Hayat (nominee of HEC) and Wahajus Siraj (nominee of the CUI senate).

According to the minutes, “The subcommittee further recommended that all appointments/promotion cases of each individual (faculty/non faculty) recommended in 29th and 30th meetings of the selection boards are to be dealt according to the approved CUI statutes for all positions as a policy decision and should be forwarded to the senate for approval.”

Committee member Wahajus Siraj, according to minutes of the meeting, pointed out that “issues under consideration (probe) have mainly arisen because of the following three factors: vacant posts were not available but appointments nonetheless made against non-existing positions; in most cases even the vacant corresponding positions were available the appointments were made without advertising positions and in certain cases where though the positions were available and these had been advertised too, merit was not observed; ineligible individuals were hired or a large number of candidates were hired against lesser number of available positions.”

Whereas incumbent Comsats Rector Prof Dr Mohammad Tabassum Afzal, according to the minutes, told the committee that as per then statutes and present statutes of the university, “all positions, for all appointments, must be filled after through advertisement and open competition.”

The rector said: “There is no provision for promotion at faculty positions”, adding promotions at non-faculty positions may be done against the approved titles and designations and as per approved promotion policy and seniority list.

Prof Dr Tasawwar Hayat said: “Cases for the promotion of faculty members working on Tenure Track System, as recommended in the minutes of 30th meeting of the Selection Board, should only be approved as per HEC policy and subject to fulfillment of all codal formalities.”

Sources in Comsats said the 63 teaching and non-teaching staff members were promoted without following merit, adding junior employees were promoted out of turn.

The promotions were made during the tenure of former acting rector Dr Raheel Qamar. The sources said in many cases the selection boards bulldozed all set rules and promoted the employees on pick and choose basis.

Citing examples of the questionable promotions, the sources said Samra Mohsin Khan, Dean Architecture, was illegally promoted as full professor and appointed as the dean while she was not eligible as per HEC rules for professorship, and the dean’s post was not advertised.

Dr Sajjad Madni, Director CUI Wah campus, was appointed unlawfully as he was junior most in the seniority list and the post was not advertised.

Similarly, Raza Ahmad Khan was appointed General Manager Office for Research Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC), a position that did not exist in the CUI statutes.

The sources said Dr Aliya Moeen Zafar, Chief Scientific Officer, was appointed on the post as she has humanities background and was not a scientist.

An employee of the university, Fahim Qureshi, was appointed as the acting registrar for three years whereas he was ineligible for the post. He was not even shortlisted when the permanent registrar’s post was recently advertised because he does not fulfil the criteria for the post.

When the matter was placed before the senate headed by President Alvi last year, it deferred further action on recommendations of the selection boards and formed the subcommittee to review the cases.

The sources said there were still over 500 employees who claimed they were eligible for promotions but were not considered.

When contacted, acting Comsats Registrar Prof Dr Shamsul Qamar said the subcommittee of senate had submitted its recommendations to the university senate regarding selection boards.

He said the senate will take a decision at its meeting to be held on Wednesday. He said if the recommendations are implemented, dozens of promoted officials could face action.

“The university has nothing to do with the recommendations of the subcommittee of senate. The senate is the supreme decision making body and it will take decision whatever it may like,” he said.

Former registrar Dr Fahim could not be contacted for comments.

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2021