Inquiry covers administrative and financial audits of the university, alongside staff complaints against the VC
A view of an inundated University Road when a water supply line measuring 84 inches in diameter burst near the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology last year. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
Speculation is rife over whether President Asif Ali Zardari’s decision to remove the Deputy Chair of the Senate of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) has opened the door for possible action against the university’s vice chancellor, Prof Dr Zabta Khan Shinwari.
Academic and administrative circles believe that the deputy chair had long acted as the principal barrier to any inquiry or disciplinary proceedings on several complaints filed against the VC. With that barrier now gone, the appointment of a new deputy chair, along with the imminent release of a Higher Education Commission (HEC) inquiry report, is expected to determine the VC’s fate.
Officials say the situation could become increasingly difficult for the VC if the federal ombudsman’s earlier decision in a harassment case is implemented. The ombudsman had held the VC responsible and directed the university’s Senate to issue a formal reprimand. However, the Senate failed to take the required action, leaving the matter unresolved. A National Assembly standing committee has also voiced its displeasure over the education ministry and HEC’s inability to ensure compliance with the ombudsman’s order.
According to Islamabad-based educationists, under the university’s act, any disciplinary action against the VC must proceed through the Senate, which alone has the authority to send a VC on forced leave – an essential first step before initiating formal proceedings. This process, they add, requires a neutral deputy chair capable of presiding over the Senate meeting impartially, reviewing the HEC inquiry report, evaluating evidence, and weighing the ombudsman’s decision without bias or institutional pressure.
Sources confirm that the HEC inquiry committee, headed by senior official Raza Chauhan, has included the harassment case and the ombudsman’s findings within its scope. The probe also covers administrative and financial audits of the university, alongside staff complaints against the VC.
