FAISALABAD, Aug 7: Jobs at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), are open to blood relations of its bigwigs and recently 11 recruitments at the UAF are testimony to the fact, Dawn has learnt.

The university, which last year celebrated its centennial ceremony, is among top-ranked institutions in the country declared by the Higher Education Commission.

The university also stands out among other higher education institutions for accommodating the relatives of its senior officials allegedly by defying rules and regulations.

Sources said 11 people were recruited in university faculties who are relatives of faculty members. Wife of acting treasurer Shahid Afzal Gill was appointed at the faculty of agri economics; daughter of former dean of Agri Engineering Dr Shafi Sabir was appointed lecturer with the faculty of agri economics; Noreen whose second name could not be ascertained is sister-in-law of registrar Chaudhry Mohammad Husain.

She was made part of sociology department. Forestry department’s former chairman Rana Rasheed Ahmed’s son, Rana Fahd Rasheed, was also included in the forestry faculty and Ahsan, nephew of the faculty of agriculture dean Rao Iftikhar Ahmed, was included in the department of the CAB.

Ishrat and Nusrat, daughters of research director Dr Abdul Ghafoor, were recruited teachers at the Laboratory Girls’ School. The husband of Ishrat has also been made part of the computer science department.

Sources said after the permission of the selection board, all faculty members were made regular and the syndicate also approved their appointments.

When the issue of appointments of kin is raised in the institution, sources said, the university administration takes cover of the selection board, saying that all appointments have been made by the selection board.

A senior faculty member of the academia, seeking anonymity, said most of the employees of the UAF were perturbed over violation of merit in recruitments. He said the situation would go from bad to worse, if the government did not take measures to uphold merit in recruitments.

UAF public relation officer Qamar Bukhari said all appointments had been made on merit. He said a few members of different walks of life were also members of the selection board, so the board could not violate merit.

He claimed that chancellor (the governor Punjab) has praised the UAF for setting transparent criteria for recruitments.