KARACHI: The Sindh chief minister has rejected a proposal to extend the tenure of the incumbent vice chancellor of Karachi University, Prof Khalid Mehmood Iraqi, and directed the department concerned to initiate the process for a new hiring, it emerged on Monday.

The Sindh Higher Education Commission (SHEC) had recently moved a summary dated March 26 to CM Murad Ali Shah, who is the controlling authority of all public sector universities in the province, informing him that the first tenure of Prof Iraqi as KU VC is expiring on July 27.

Prof Iraqi has been heading the province’s largest public sector university since 2019 when he was appointed as the acting vice chancellor. Later, he was appointed as the permanent VC in 2022. Earlier, he was chairman of the university’s department of public administration.

The SHEC summary stated that the VC was appointed for a period of four years, which “may be extended for one more additional term of four years” by the CM.

The summary, a copy of which is available with Dawn, also refers to Section 4 (2) of the Constitution of the Search Committee Act 2022 according to which the chief minister being the appointing authority may also allow universities and boards department to initiate the process for the appointment of the vice chancellor of KU through the search committee.

Sources privy to the developments at the CM House told Dawn that the chief minister had directed the officials concerned to initiate the process for a new vice chancellor for KU.

A KU spokesperson, however, expressed unawareness about any progress on the matter.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2026