KARACHI, Jan 17: While the race for Karachi University vice chancellorship may come to an end after a recent meeting of the Sindh governor and the vice chancellor of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, the controversy over the selection process persists with candidates having raised concern over the absence of two prominent members of the selection body from a crucial meeting of the search committee, it emerged on Tuesday.

Sources said Prof Dr Mohammad Qaiser, the current vice chancellor of Fuuast, was likely to head Karachi University and its notification could be issued in the coming days.

They added that Prof Qaiser, a prominent botanist, whose name was suggested by the search committee for KU vice chancellorship, had a detailed meeting with the Sindh governor on Monday.

The other two candidates whose names had been suggested for KU vice chancellorship were Prof Dr Abuzar Wajidi, dean of management sciences, KU, and Prof Dr Nasiruddin Khan, pro-vice chancellor of KU Gulistan-i-Jauhar campus.

According to the sources, the governor’s meeting with Prof Qaiser was held after the former obtained approval from the president, who serves as the chancellor of federal universities in the public sector.

Prof Qaiser would be a second vice chancellor from Fuuast to head Karachi University if his name is notified.

Earlier, Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, the current KU vice chancellor who is an aspirant for a third term, had also served as vice chancellor of Fuuast for two terms of five years each.

Despite strong criticism from members of the medical community, the governor, who acts as chancellor of all public-sector universities in Sindh, awarded a third term to Prof Dr Masood Hamid as vice chancellor of the Dow University of Health Sciences after a search committee recommended his name.

Other candidates for the KU vice chancellor appointment included Dr Mohammad Ikhlaq, former pro-vice chancellor, Prof Dr Zafar Iqbal, dean of arts faculty, Prof Dr Shahana Urooj Kazmi, pro-vice chancellor, Prof Dr Darakhshan Haleem, dean of science faculty, and Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim, the current vice chancellor.

Controversies mar process

Speaking to Dawn, candidates expressed dissatisfaction over the selection process and questioned the absence of two prominent members of KU’s search committee — Dr Ishrat Hussain, former head of the State Bank of Pakistan and current director of Institute of Business Administration, and retired Justice Haziq-ul-Khairi.

“The integrity of these people is unquestionable and it was only their inclusion that had given some credence to the committee. Their absence from the committee has made the entire exercise futile,” said one candidate on condition of anonymity.

An expert on law was necessary in the selection committee to ensure that the process was transparent, he added. It is worth noting that other members of the search committee include Dr S.M. Qureshi (committee convener and head of the chartered inspection and evaluation committee), Dr Ali Mohammad Ansari (former director-general of health), Prof U.A.G. Isani (former head of the University Grants Commission and vice chancellor of Iqra University), Prof A.Q. Mughal (vice chancellor of the Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam) and Mumtaz-ur-Rehman (principal secretary to the governor).Meanwhile, teachers at Karachi University also criticised the selection process, arguing that the procedure violated the sanctity of the seat of vice chancellor.

The post, they said, required that the chancellor offered the post rather than seeking the help of a ‘controversial committee’ largely comprising serving vice chancellors and bureaucrats instead of eminent intellectuals.

Referring to the Karachi University code which authorizes the chancellor to appoint a vice chancellor, they said that why the chancellor needed what they called a ‘so-called search committee’ to appoint vice chancellor at the KU and the DUHS while he was appointing vice chancellors in other public sector universities in Sindh without involving any committee.

Parallel systems

“We could never know the legal status of the search committee. The procedure stated in the KU code is different while the one given by the Higher Education Commission is entirely different. Neither of these processes is  being implemented,” said Prof Dr Fayyaz Vaid, member syndicate and member executive council, Karachi University Teachers Society.

“Speculation on the KU campus regarding the appointment of KU vice chancellor is highly regrettable,” he said, adding that the society wanted an in-service person with integrity as the vice chancellor.