ISLAMABAD: Comsats University Islamabad will have to wait more for a new rector after Dr Shahid Munir notified by the president of Pakistan to head the Islamabad-based varsity joined the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore following his appointment by the Punjab government on the same day.

The Comsats university has not had a regular rector since June last year and has to rely on stopgap arrangements in a bid to ensure smooth administrative and governance functions.

After a lengthy process, President Asif Ali Zardari – the Comsats chancellor – approved the name of Dr Munir out of the three-strong panel for the rector’s post, followed by a notification to this effect by the Ministry of Science and Technology on September 23.

The rector had been appointed for a period of five years. However, Dr Munir was simultaneously named as the UET vice-chancellor by the Punjab government on the same date and he reportedly joined the UET as its VC on Monday.

In light of his unavailability, the president can either pick another shortlisted candidate – Dr Shahid Khattak and Asghar Zaidi – from the panel or ask the search committee to submit a new panel for the task.

Mr Zaidi had served as Government College University’s VC whereas Dr Khattak heads the Comsats Abbottabad campus. “We were very happy to know that finally after a gap of one year, we would get a regular rector, but the situation has changed now,” a faculty member of Comsats said.

In July last year, then-rector Dr Mohammad Afzal stepped down and President Arif Alvi had appointed Dean Dr Sajid Qamar as the Comsats’ temporary rector. Besides these stopgap measures, several positions in the university are being treated the same way.

Meanwhile, Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Mukhtar appreciated the federal and Punjab governments for expediting the process for the appointment of permanent vice-chancellors in the universities of Punjab as well as Comsats, Islamabad.

In a statement on Tuesday, the HEC chairman expressed pleasure over the appointments and appreciated the government for taking steps to resolve the crucial issue of the absence of leadership in these universities.

Dr Mukhtar asserted that the appointment of vice-chancellors would help address different governance challenges and quality issues in the respective universities.

“The appointments of vice-chancellors will further strengthen HEC’s coordination with the universities, leading towards visible improvement in the universities’ operations,” he said.

Extending congratulations to the newly appointed vice-chancellors, the chairman hoped that their new assignment would prove to be a stepping stone to build on the institutional accomplishments.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed reiterated HEC’s commitment to proactively facilitating the higher education institutions for a progressive higher education system in the country, which plays a significant role in the development of a knowledge-based economy.

The newly appointed vice-chancellors include Dr Muhammad Ali Shah for University of the Punjab, Lahore; Dr Shahid Munir for UET, Lahore; Dr Zubair Iqbal for Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan; Dr Amir Azam Khan for Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan; Dr Aqif Anwar Chaudhry for the University of Education, Lahore; Dr Inayatullah Khan for UET, Taxila, and Dr Ahmed Shuja for the University of Gujrat.

Meanwhile, the HEC press release said that the Ministry of Science and Technology had also issued a notification for the appointment of Dr Shahid Munir as the Comsats rector.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024