HYDERABAD: Con-cerned over an unprecedented funding crunch and increasing administrative interference, the Federation of Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) has announced a province-wide protest campaign to safeguard institutional autonomy and faculty rights.
The decision was reached during a general body meeting of FAPUASA’s Sindh chapter, held on Friday at the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET), Jamshoro. Co-chaired by central President Prof Dr Akhtiar Ali Ghumro and Sindh chapter President Prof Dr Nafees Ahmed, the meeting brought together academic representatives from public sector universities across the province to address governance failures, financial deficits, and deteriorating faculty welfare.
Expressing grave concern over external encroachment upon the administrative and financial affairs of higher education institutions, the forum unanimously resolved that university autonomy would not be compromised.
A FAPUASA delegation is scheduled to meet the provincial minister for universities and boards, the secretary of universities and boards and the chairman of the Sindh HEC to formally register these grievances.
The association condemned the worsening financial crisis gripping public universities, demanding a substantial increase in higher education funding in line with Unesco recommendations. Leaders urged the timely release of recurring grants and the strict implementation of the National Finance Commission (NFC) and Council of Common Interests (CCI) decisions regarding university funding. They also called for the restoration of tax rebate facilities for university teachers and researchers to acknowledge their contributions to national development.
On administrative matters, the meeting stressed the urgent need to create and advertise vacant faculty positions to accommodate new academic programmes and rising student enrolment. It demanded the transparent conduct of selection boards and the immediate resolution of long-pending promotion cases across Sindh.
Demonstrating solidarity with colleagues at the University of Karachi, the FAPUASA strongly condemned the indifferent attitude of the institution’s administration towards faculty issues. The leadership announced that FAPUASA representatives would join the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) sit-in after Eidul Azha, warning that province-wide agitation would escalate if grievances remain unaddressed.
Furthermore, FAPUASA Sindh Vice-President Dr Fahad Nazir Khoso urged the provincial government to immediately release a special grant to stabilise major public universities and ensure smooth academic operations.
The forum also highlighted specific institutional crises.
GC University, Hyderabad & Umerkot campus
The meeting raised serious concerns over governance failures at GCU Hyderabad, including the non-implementation of the University Code Book, incomplete statutory bodies, and delayed promotions. It demanded basic facilities — such as offices, laboratories, libraries, and transport — for faculty at both the main campus and the Umerkot sub-campus. Additionally, the association called for a dedicated recurring grant of Rs200 million for the Umerkot campus in the upcoming Sindh budget, alongside a transparent, fair mechanism for paying retirement dues, leave preparatory to retirement (LPR), and pension commutations.
Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2026