LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday restrained the selection board of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) from finalising the process for the appointment of executive director.

Justice Rasaal Hassan Syed issued the order on a petition challenging the appointment process and the re-composition of the selection board. Quaid-i-Azam University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah filed the petition.

Petitioner’s counsel Saad Rasool contended before the court that 19 members of the HEC formed a selection board but the chairman of the commission unlawfully recomposed the board in a unilateral manner. He said the respondent chairman changed the composition of the board to secure the appointment of his blue-eyed candidate on the post of executive director. He pointed out that the federal ministry for education and the ministry for science and technology also raised objections to the reconstitution of the selection board.

The counsel for the secretaries of both ministries refused to attend an upcoming meeting convened by the selection board while a member of the board too advised against holding any such meeting being illegal. He argued that the HEC chairman had no jurisdiction to constitute the selection board or reconstitute it. He asked the court to set aside the impugned decision of the HEC chairman and the appointment process for the executive director for being unlawful.

A law officer opposed the petition, however, sought time from the court to seek instructions from the federal government in this regard.

The judge allowed the selection board to continue with the appointment process, however, observed that the fate of the appointment would be subject to the final decision on the petition. The judge adjourned further hearing for a fortnight.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022