LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday summoned the record related to the appointment of the Okara University registrar.

Justice Khalid Ishaq was hearing a petition challenging the appointment of the university’s registrar and seeking suspension of the notification issued by the Punjab government.

Sajid Mahmood, a Lahore resident, filed the petition, alleging that the temporary appointment of respondent Jamil Asim as registrar for three months was unlawful and made in violation of the University of Okara Act, 2016.

Advocate Safdar Shaheen Pirzada appeared before the court and argued on behalf of the petitioner that the registrar office had been lying vacant for a long period and was allegedly managed through irregular and unlawful means.

He stated that the higher education department issued a notification on April 15, 2026, appointing the respondent temporarily for three months.

The counsel argued that since the office had allegedly been vacant since 2024, any temporary arrangement was illegal.

He also questioned the authenticity of a Masters in Information Technology degree possessed by the respondent registrar, alleging it was secured from the Lahore campus of a private university, which was not recognised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

The lawyer pointed out that some bureaucrats had also obtained degrees from the same university and were later removed from their jobs.

He asked the court to declare the appointment of the respondent as registrar illegal and restrain him from functioning till a final decision of the petition.

The judge, however, observed that a stay order could be issued only after examining the record of the impugned appointment.

The judge summoned the relevant record from the university by the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2026