KARACHI, Feb 21: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan directed on Tuesday Vice Chancellor of Sindh University Prof Nazir Mughal to proceed on leave and appointed pro-VC Prof (Dr) Parveen Shah the university’s acting vice chancellor.

The governor, who is also the chancellor of all public-sector varsities in the province, took the decision after receiving a report from a five-member committee which he had set up to inquire into university affairs. Academic activities at public-sector universities in the province have been suspended for the past many weeks by protesting teachers who are demanding termination of the VC’s services over the killing of a Sindh University professor.

However, when Sindh University Teachers’ Association (SUTA) president Dr Azhar Ali Shah was contacted by Dawn to know whether the governor’s decision would pave the way for restoration of academic activities at the universities, he replied in the negative. He said the teachers’ protest, including the token hunger strike being observed outside the press club, and the country-wide protest plan chalked out by the Federation of Universities Academic Staff Associations would continue as long as Prof Mughal’s services were not terminated and a notification of the same was not issued.

About the newly-appointed acting vice chancellor, he said she belonged to the economics department and would attain  her superannuation age in August.