LAHORE: Government College University’s (GCU) former vice chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab has refused to receive the lifetime achievement award from the institution on its 19th convocation to be held on Friday (today).

The GCU is holding its convocation at the main lawn outside Bokhari Auditorium.

The varsity administration announced six lifetime achievement awards for eminent personalities -- first vice chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab, S.M. Zafar, Mustansar Husain Tarar, Dr Pervez Hassan, Zia Mohyeddin and Syed Babar Ali.

GCU VC Prof Dr Asghar Zaidi told Dawn that these individuals were being given the lifetime achievement awards in recognition of their services for education and the country. He said Pervez Hassan and Syed Babar Ali had contributed to the GCU endowment fund to set up a centre for special students.

Dr Aftab told Dawn that he had refused to receive the award as he believed that it was not educational institutions’ job to award people. “It is not the job of the GCU to give lifetime achievements award to anyone but it should gain excellence in education and producing academics,” he said. He said he did not know what role these individuals (who were being awarded) had played to uplift the GCU.

Dr Aftab said the current vice chancellor of the university was awarding the people for personal benefits and publicity. “No world renowned university has ever awarded people in such a way,” he said.

Mr Zaidi insisted that these personalities had played an important role in the education sector and also for the national development. He said Mr Mohyeddin was being awarded for his excellent acting, directing, writing, broadcasting and excellence in a wide range of aesthetic disciplines while Mr Tarar was a renowned author and TV personality besides being an old Ravian.

Mr Zafar was one of the most prominent Pakistani human rights activists, a senior lawyer and a former member of the Senate, he said.

In the past, the academics and civil society activists criticised the GCU for conferring honorary PhD degree upon philanthropist and social worker Anwaar Ahmad Khan.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2021