HARIPUR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor’s Secretariat has shifted an inquiry into the alleged administrative irregularities by the acting vice-chancellor of the University of Haripur (UoH) to the office of the higher education secretary.

It asked the secretary’s office to record acting VC Dr Ayub Khan’s statement and share that with it with recommendations on the matter in 15 days.

Earlier, the Governor’s Secretariat, after receiving complaints, had written to the university’s registrar directing him to appear before it with records of the matter on May 12 to ‘discuss irregularities in the University of Haripur during the period of Dr Ayub Khan’.

However, registrar retired Major Mohammad Iqbal didn’t comply with the directions and sent Rashid Mehmood, a former contractual employee, who was appointed the deputy registrar (administration) by the acting VC lately.

The Governor’s Secretariat refused to listen to him.

In a fresh letter, it directed the higher education secretary’s office to obtain ‘detailed and self-contained views/comments’ from acting VC Dr Ayub Khan, on the complaint of the UoH Staff Welfare Association’s president about the alleged violation of rules for advertising positions and reinstating three employees, and submit them to it with ‘solid recommendations’ within a fortnight.

The inquiry was ordered by former Governor Shah Farman, who resigned afterwards.

Currently, Speaker of the provincial assembly Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, who hails from Abbottabad, has been serving as the acting governor.

Insiders claim that the search committee has ‘almost’ finalised the selection of VCs for six public sector universities in the province, including UoH. The Haripur university is likely to get a permanent VC in few weeks.

ROBBERS HELD: The police have arrested two suspected robbers and seized Rs22.34 million snatched from a factory’s manager.

District police officer Kashif Aftab Abbasi told reporters here on Wednesday that the arrested men, including former worker of Nobel Steel Industry Shakil Hussain and Nabeel Khan of Hattar village, had confessed to the robbery and disclosed that they along with another man snatched Rs22.5 million from Adil Khan, the manager of Nobel Steel Industry at the Hattar Industrial Estate, four days ago on the Hazara Motorway as the latter was driving to Dargai area in Malakand district.

He said raids were under way for the arrest of the third accused.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2022