GUJRAT: A new stopgap administrative arrangement at the University of Gujrat (UoG) has triggered a debate in academic circles after the Punjab governor/chancellor accepted the resignation of the university’s vice chancellor and simultaneously assigned him additional charge of the same institution.

According to an official notification issued on May 18, Prof Dr Zahoorul Haq’s resignation from the office of the UoG VC was accepted with effect from May 5, 2026, after he was appointed as VC of the University of Rasul (UoR) Mandi Bahauddin.

However, in the same notification, Dr Zahoorul Haq, currently serving as VC of University of Rasul, was entrusted with additional charge of UoG VC for six months or till the appointment of a regular incumbent, whichever is earlier.

Official sources said Dr Zahoorul Haq had joined the UoG as regular VC on Jan 17, 2025 and soon afterwards was also assigned additional charge of the University of Rasul.

After serving for nearly one year and four months at the UoG, he resigned from the post and joined the UoR as regular VC.

However, despite relinquishing the regular charge at UoG earlier this month, he was assigned additional charge of the same university, drawing criticism from academic circles over what some teachers described it as a `musical-chair arrangement’ between two public sector universities.

The UoR VC Dr Haq also assumed the additional charge of VC UoG on Monday last.

As per the UoG rules, in the absence of a regular VC, the varsity’s pro-vice chancellor is to take over as an acting VC until the appointment of a regular incumbent.

However the UoG administration has not yet initiated the process for the appointment of a pro-VC following the resignation of VC Dr Mushahid Anwar around a year ago.

Official documents available with Dawn further revealed that the Punjab Higher Education Department HED had also initiated a proposal regarding appointment of a pro-VC of UoG to ensure administrative continuity.

According to an official communication dated March 4, 2026, the HED directed the UoG administration to initiate a proposal for the appointment of a pro-VC through a submission by senior faculty members.

However, official sources claimed no formal request regarding appointment of a pro vice chancellor was forwarded to the relevant authorities despite passage of more than two months.

Talking to Dawn, academic circles questioned why interim arrangements continued to revolve around additional charges at UoG, the oldest public sector university in the Gujranwala region despite the presence of senior professors and administrative officers capable of managing stopgap responsibilities during the transition period.

UoG registrar Naeem Butt declined to comment on the matter by saying that he was unaware of any direction by the HED regarding the initiation of the process for the appointment of a pro-VC in the varsity.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2026