ISLAMABAD: Issues of concern including alleged illegal appointments of 68 employees at Comsats University Islamabad (CUI) will be discussed during the varsity’s Senate meeting to be held tomorrow (Thursday).

The meeting will be chaired by President Arif Alvi, who is also chancellor of the university. Besides, other agenda items, fate of 68 employees will also be decided.

These employees had allegedly been promoted by the previous interim setup in 2017-18 without fulfilling the criteria and were subsequently recommended for demotion by a sub-committee appointed by the chancellor.

These employees were promoted in the 29th and 30th selection board of Comsats University Islamabad in 2017-18, however their promotions were never legalised or endorsed by the then Board of Governors as the aforementioned two selection boards were never approved.

President Alvi to chair meeting tomorrow

The sub-committee formed by the chancellor recommended that not only should a majority of these employees be demoted but responsibility must be fixed on those who promoted them illegally.

Prominent among those recommended for demotion were Dr Sajjad Madni who is currently holding the acting charge of registrar, Dr Fahim Qureshi, who was acting registrar during the previous interim setup of Dr Raheel Qamar, Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation dean Raza Ahmad Khan and Dr Samra Mohsin Khan who was dean of the architecture department at the time of promotion.

Last year, Comsats formed a committee to look into the case of Samra Khan.

A three-member committee had pointed out that she was not eligible for the position of professor, when she applied in 2015.

Later on, the employees filed a writ petition in the Islamabad High Court against the decision of the sub-committee.

The IHC directed the university to give them a proper hearing before implementing any decision, and consequently all demoted employees were heard by a committee headed by a joint secretary.

Sources said the hearing committee had ruled that instead of taking action against the said illegally promoted employees, action should be taken against those who promoted them.

“The committee is of the view that grounds for withdrawal of appointment/promotion letters does not hold ground as the reasons given cannot be attributed to the employees,” read the committee’s report.

The content of this report, however, is contradictory to the earlier report finalised by a committee, headed by the federal secretary, which recommended that the employees should be demoted.

Sources in the university said following the report of the committee, the university and Ministry of Science and Technology is going to present cases of the 68 employees in four different categories.

Acting registrar Dr Sajjad Madni, one of the employees who were recommended for demotion, could not be reached for comment.

Interestingly, he will be present in the upcoming meeting.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2022