Tazeen Akhtar
ISLAMABAD: 23 Feb 2023 – The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Gov of Pakistan is continuously posting a junior dean of Allama Iqbal Open University AIOU as “Looking After VC” since last year only to make sure the appointment as VC of same Junior Dean. The Minister Rana Tanvir Hussain is Pro Vice Chancellor of this university while the President of Pakistan is Chancellor. The ministry is violating the seniority while the Chancellor and Chairman Higher Education Commission are also silent on the matter. This junior dean is close relative of Corp Commander Quetta Lt Gen Asif Ghufoor.
No direct involvement of Lt Gen Asif has been seen in this mess but the people, teachers and deans are looking at the matter in the same natural way that everything is being done only to please the Corp Commander.
Dr Nasir Mehmood, Dean of Education department is on third position in seniority in the university. Dr Shah Mohayy ud Din Hashmy is the senior most and Dr Irshad Ahmad Arshad is second in seniority but none of them is in the line of the top seat.
Dr Nasir, first secured the seat bypassing the two senior deans in Nov last year when VC Zia ul Qayyum quit the charge of VC. The ministry instead of posting the senior most dean, appointed junior Dr Nasir as Look After VC on 23 Nov 2022. The ministry failed to appoint a permanent VC in last 3 months.
On the completion of 3 months interim posting, The ministry has issued another letter of appointment of the same junior dean for another 3 months to continue Looking After the university.
This is a story about how our whole system is hostage to the big guns and how the merit is being violated by those who have been entrusted with the responsibility to take care of the merit.
The President of Pakistan is Chancellor of federal universities including AIOU. He is active in sensitizing actually shaking the government on the constitutional matters but is unaware of what is happening in the universities or he himself is on board in this favoritism.
The seat of Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University is vacant for last six months. Principally the senior most dean should be appointed VC on merit but the junior Dr Nasir Mehmood was posted as acting VC for the term of 3 months only to qualify him as a senior dean and pave the way for his posting as the permanent VC. On the completion of his 3 months posting, another stint of 3 months has been granted.
Question is why this junior dean is getting so much importance that rules and regulations are being violated regularly only to accommodate him at a position that he does not deserve?
Lt Gen Asif Ghufoor was Director General ISPR with the then Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa and when Imran Khan won the election July 2018 to become the Prime Minister. Asif Ghafoor as DG ISPR was central part of the military leadership that is held responsible by PMLN and PPP for facilitating PTI and its Chairman Imran Khan in winning a majority that he was unable to secure otherwise. Asif Ghufoor, in his press conferences, many times crossed limits to criticize the government of PMLN. But now minister of PMLN is posting his brother in law again and again to look after the biggest university of Pakistan.
Another interesting point in this story is about former VC Dr Shahid Siddiqui. He is brother of senior PMLN stalwart and former educationist, presently Senator of PMLN Mr. Erfan Siddiqui. Dr Shahid Siddiqui and Dr Nasir Mehmood are close friends. Dr Shahid, during his term as VC, used to promote Dr Nasir Mehmood always. Dr Shahid Siddiqui is also said to be behind the repeated postings of Dr Nasir Mehmood. Concerned quarters see it as if Dr Shahid Siddiqui is still promoting Dr Nasir Mehmood using the influence of his brother Senator Erfan Siddiqui?
