SAHIWAL: The Syndicate of University of Sahiwal (UoS) has awarded major penalties to a senior faculty member for being involved in corruption and workplace harassment and his failure to defend himself

Dr Shafiq Hussain, chairperson of the Computer Science Department, was found guilty of financial embezzlement amounting to Rs17 million in the purchase of library books, as well as workplace harassment in 2023.

Following the conclusion of two inquiries by the Syndicate in its 15th meeting held on Oct 6, 2025, major penalties were imposed on him under different sections of the Peeda Act, 2006.

Under proven charges of workplace harassment, Dr Hussain was penalized under Section 4(b) II of the Peeda Act. He was demoted from associate professor (Grade 20) to assistant professor (Grade 19) for five years, and during this period he was barred from holding any administrative position within the university to prevent recurrence of misconduct and abuse of authority.

The inquiry also established that library books worth Rs17m were purchased but never added to the university’s stock and were instead returned to the vendor after entering into stock and delivery.

For this, Dr Hussain was penalized under Section 4(b) VI and Section 4(b) I of the Peeda Act, 2006, resulting in immediate dismissal from service and recovery of Rs17 million with applicable markup and interest.

The order further stated that the recovery would be treated as arrears of land revenue or through any other lawful mode, and Dr. Hussain would not be entitled to any pay or allowances beyond March 3, 2026, the date of the order.

The allegations first surfaced in 2023 when Dr Hussain was serving as Project Director and Chairperson of the Computer Science Department. He was suspended from his chairmanship, and an inquiry was initiated under sections 5(1)(b) and 9 of the Peeda Act after the emergence of two allegations.

A four-member inquiry committee was constituted on Oct 20, 2023, comprising Prof Dr. Muhammad Ramzan, Vice Chancellor of Emerson University Multan; Dr. Muhammad Jaffar, Professor of Agriculture, University of Faisalabad; Prof. Dr. Tanveerul Haq, Professor of MNS University of Agriculture, Multan; and Syed Ghulam Ali Asger, Registrar of the University of Sahiwal. While the committee finalized its findings, Dr. Hussain appealed to Governor Punjab/Chancellor Sardar Saleem Hyder Khan, who reinstated him as chairperson through a notification dated July 29, 2024.

Despite reinstatement, the inquiry remained pending. It is reported that Dr Hussain repeatedly petitioned the Governor for dissolution of the inquiry committee and formation of a new one, leading to extensive correspondence between the Governor’s office and the university administration.

Eventually, in last week of January 2026, the Governor directed UoS that the inquiry be completed within 15 days. The sealed inquiry report was presented in the 14th Syndicate meeting, and final penalties were confirmed in the 15th meeting on Oct 6, 2025.

Before the imposition of penalties, Dr Hussain was given an opportunity for a personal hearing under Section 13(4) of the Peeda Act. He was asked to appear before the 16th Syndicate meeting on Feb 10, 2026, but he neither attended the hearing nor provided any lawful justification for his absence.

In light of the proven charges and his failure to defend himself, the Syndicate awarded him major penalties.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2026