HYDERABAD, July 24: Seven members of Sindh University Teachers Association (SUTA) have expressed concern over its policies and said the “protesting teachers are nothing but a group of egotists who are joined by outside hooligans whereas Vice Chancellor Dr Nazir A. Mughal enjoys the support of 350 faculty members”.

They alleged that the SUTA was indulging in criminal activities like tearing off of examination papers, influencing decisions of the teachers’ selection board and interfering in promotion of teachers.

Addressing a news conference in the administration block of the university on Tuesday, Syed Ahsan Rashdi, Dr Abdul Jabbar Laghari, Dr Abdul Sattar Almani, Prof Mehmood Soomro, Dr Ghulam Asghar Maka, Zulfiqar Hyder Zaidi and Zubair Ahmed Chachar termed the white paper issued by the SUTA as baseless.

They said the VC had not claimed any undue financial favours and this fact could be verified from the record of the office of finance director.

They rejected the claim that a transport contract had been awarded to the son of the university’s transport officer because his son was only six year old. “One can realise the veracity of other accusations from this fact alone,” they said, adding that all allegations of the SUTA against the university administration were a bundle of lies.

They appealed to the SUTA leadership to announce dates for fresh polls of the organisation because its term had ended on July 14.

They pledged that they would not compromise on Sindh University’s integrity “under pressure from a handful of teachers and employees who are out to sabotage the image and performance of this premier institution”.

They also appealed to the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations, teaching fraternity at large, intelligentsia, civil society members, writers and columnists to help instil a sense of responsibility in what they called the “illegal SUTA leadership”.

SUTA president Azhar Shah said that none of the teachers holding the press conference was an elected office-bearer but ordinary members of the association. “We will call a general body to cancel their membership for acting against the general body’s decision and betraying it,” he told Dawn.

He said that as per the demand put forward by the general body, a new VC should be appointed and Nazir Mughal should be sent home.