KARACHI, April 21: Karachi University Teacher’s Society (KUTS) has expressed deep concern over what it called an attempt to strangulate the autonomy of the university by the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

In a press statement issued here on Thursday, KUTS President Prof Dr Sohail Barkati and Secretary Sarwar Nasim said that a recent letter from the HEC Chairman Prof Dr Attaur Rehman to different varsities was a gross violation of the autonomy of universities.

They termed it “blackmailing attitude of the HEC”. They said that the letter stated that unless some of the controversial points of the Model University Ordinance (MUO) were implemented, the development funds of universities would not be released.

”The letter further threatened that the funds for on-going projects would also be stopped as well.”

KUTS office-bearers, while expressing deep concern over the prevailing situation said that instead of removing the concerns and apprehensions of teachers related to the MUO and Tenure Track System, the HEC chairman had started “blackmailing” the public sector varsities in the country.

They said that teachers of all public sector universities would ensure the autonomy of their institutions and would foil all such attempts of the HEC to strangulate their freedom.

They further said that the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) had summoned a meeting at Islamabad next week to chalk out future strategy to safeguard the freedom and autonomy of the varsities.—PPI