Governor Punjab Rejects Summary for Appointment of Vice Chancellors, Raises Objections
LAHORE, Sep 24: Governor Punjab Sardar Salim Haider has rejected the summary sent by the Punjab government for the appointment of Vice Chancellors (VCs) in 13 universities, returning it with several objections. According to sources from the Governor’s House, the Governor emphasized that the Chief Minister can send a panel for the appointments, but the final selection is the prerogative of the Governor.
Governor Haider raised concerns regarding the process of creating the VC panel, stating that it lacked a healthy competition and needed to be re-evaluated. He added that the procedure followed for the formation of the panel was flawed.
However, sources from the Chief Minister’s House defended the transparency of the process, stating that the VC selection was made with cabinet approval and followed legal protocols. They asserted that the Governor’s role is limited to signing the appointments, and he cannot return the summary.
Earlier, the Punjab government, with the Chief Minister's approval, had issued orders for the appointment of VCs in seven out of 13 universities. The Higher Education Commission released notifications for the appointments, including Professor Dr. Muhammad Ali Shah as Vice Chancellor of Punjab University, Professor Dr. Shahid Munir for the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, and Professor Dr. Ahmad Shuja as the VC of the University of Gujrat.
Additional appointments included Professor Dr. Akif Anwar Chaudhry for the University of Education, Professor Dr. Muhammad Inayatullah at UET Taxila, Professor Dr. Aamir Azam for Khwaja Fareed University in Rahim Yar Khan, and Professor Dr. Zubair Iqbal as the new VC for Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan.
