LAHORE, Sept 27: The Punjab government has declined to grant extension to the King Edward Medical University vice-chancellor and constituted a six-member

search committee to find his successor. Punjab Health Secretary Raees Abbas Zaidi told Dawn on Thursday that Prof Mumtaz Hasan, whose one-year contract expired on Sept 16, had been asked to continue till his successor was chosen.

He further said the government had formed a six-member search committee, comprising medical professionals, for the purpose.

“The committee is fully authorised to choose even a foreigner for the post,” the secretary added.

Interestingly, KEMU spokesman Dr Tabassum claims that Prof Hasan has been given extension for three years. When the spokesman’s attention was drawn towards a Punjab government notification that Prof Hasan had been given a three-year contract as professor of medicine and not as vice-chancellor, Dr Tabassum said a separate order had been issued in this regard.

The Punjab Services and General Administration Department’s notification says that Prof Hasan is `reemployed on a contract basis for a further period of three years with effect from Sept 16, 2006 in relaxation of provisions of the reemployment policy.’ The terms and conditions of his contractual appointment shall be settled separately. Last year, the Punjab government had awarded Prof Hasan only one-year extension that too as an acting vice-chancellor.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Medical Association points out that under the KEMU Act, there has been no room for an acting vice-chancellor and the provincial governor should take note of this violation.

A health department source said the KEMU vice-chancellor had utilised all his energies to get extension for a maximum period but the provincial high-ups preferred to launch a hunt for his successor.