LAHORE: The appointment of assistant controller of examination at the University of Jhang (UoJ) has been facing an inordinate delay, with the final decision resting with Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman.

The university had advertised a vacant position in May 2019 and conducted a recruitment test in February 2022, which saw 203 candidates vying for the posts. Rizwan Ali, who topped the test with 75 out of 100 marks, and Hasnain Nawaz were selected by the university’s selection board. Though the university had advertised one post but according to rules the number of posts can be increased under certain conditions, hence it selected two candidates.

However, the process hit a snag when the Syndicate, chaired by Higher Education Minister Raja Yasir Humayun Sarfraz, pointed out “delays” in the appointment process. The university administration attributed the delay to the Covid-19 pandemic and the merger of the sub-campus of the women’s university with the University of Jhang.

Despite these explanations, the minister, who was also chairman of the syndicate, ordered cancellation of the selection process.

Sources alleged that the decision was politically motivated as one of the syndicate members, former Punjab Assembly member Moavia Azam, had left his allies in the Punjab government. The sources further alleged that the minister was told that the candidates were supporters of Moavia Azam, a member of assembly, after which he cancelled the selection process. The syndicate was also short of its members when it cancelled the selection board recommendations.

The candidates challenged the syndicate’s decision and appealed to Governor Balighur Rehman who conducted a hearing on June 9, 2023, calling on the candidates and both the former and current VCs of the university, Dr Shahid Munir and Nabila Rehman, to record their statements. Both the VCs claimed that the selection process was conducted fairly and that the delay was due to the pandemic. They recommended to the governor to direct the university to issue appointment letters of the assistant controllers. However, the governor has not yet issued any decision on the appeal of the candidates even after conducting an investigation.

Governor House Additional Secretary (Univ-I) Mahmoodul Hassan told Dawn that the governor has yet to announce the decision on the appeal. He expressed hope the decision would be announced within one or two weeks.

On the other hand, the UoJ advertised the post of assistant controller of examination again on July 23 this year with Aug 9 being the last date of submission of applications. As many as 296 people applied for the post, including Rizwan Ali and Hasnain Nawaz who were earlier selected by the university’s selection board.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2023