The academic activities of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST), where 13,000 students are enrolled, are severely affected by the defunct vice chancellor and suspended registrar who have filed cases against 14 teaching staff. Besides cases, the suspended registrar has issued, on three different occasions, the show cause notices to chairman of mass communication department, professor of economics department and two members of the senate committee of the University for complaining against the malpractices, nepotism and corruption before the president of Pakistan during the senate meeting.
The chancellor of the federal university, who is also the president of Pakistan, has already taken actions against the vice chancellor and registrar by sending vice chancellor on forced leave and suspended registrar till further order on the recommendations of the senate and Higher Education Commission. According to different teachers association the vice Chancellor is involved in educational and financial corruption and embezzlement of university’s accounts.
It seems that the administration of the University is bent upon terminating the services of the said teachers.
The suspended registrar, Professor Fahimuddin, had issued show cause notices to Professor Nasir Abbas and Professor Seema Naz Siddiqui, the members of Senate committee of the university, Dr. Tauseef Ahmed Khan, head of the mass communication department, Dr. Suleman D. Muhammad, professor of Economics department. A departmental inquiry was initiated against other 14 teaching staff which has disturbed the academic activities in Arts and Science campuses and has eroded the student’s confidence. The Professors were charged that they informed the Chancellor, the president of Pakistan, about the malpractices in the university and not holding the meeting of Senate for the regularization of day to day affairs of the university and recruiting his cronies who do not match the qualification required for the vacant posts.
According to different media reports Dr Zafar Iqbal since his appointment as Vice Chancellor in Federal Urdu University of Arts Sciences and Technology and Registrar of the university Dr. Fahimuddin are allegedly involved in educational and financial corruption and embezzlement of university’s accounts.
The 13,000 students have been made direct victim of the vindictive actions of defunct vice chancellor and suspended registrar.
The media has reported that Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST) is just one such university where the allegations of corruption of its head has brought disrepute to the institution and has jeopardized the future of the student and faculty members. The teacher’s union has also been suffering at the hands of VC of the varsity Dr Zafar Iqbal, who allegedly has left no stones unturned to hide his inefficiency, corruption and mismanagement of the university’s affairs. The protesting teachers are specially targeted by Dr Zafar to seek vendetta from them for bringing to light his corruption and mismanagement.
Professor Abbas and Professor Seema have sent a complaint to the Chancellor of University with a detailed account of malpractices and plundering allegedly carried out by the Vice Chancellor. In response to these complaints, the Chancellor, the President of Pakistan, has directed Higher Education Commission to form an investigative committee based on senior teachers from Pakistan for the investigation of these issues raised by the university teachers. The committee-members were harassed and pressurized by Vice Chancellor to the extent that the committee members gave in and resigned from the committee. Another committee was formed to investigate into the accusations, and when it was about to finish its task, the Vice Chancellor rushed to the Sindh High Court and won a stay order.
To reflect upon and analyze this situation, teacher’s society of Gulshan Iqbal Campus and Abdul Haq campuses established a Joint-Action Committee of Senate, syndicate and academic council’s member teachers and arranged a seminar to discuss situation of the University. In response to this Joint-Action Committee and its activities, Vice Chancellor filed cases against 14 such teachers in Sindh High Court, and interestingly when these teachers went for court hearings, 5 of them were served show cause notices by the University alleging them for attending court hearings and indulging in unlawful activities against the VC.
The Chancellor of the University, the President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain has repeatedly asked the Vice Chancellor to call for Senate Meeting but he did not call this mandatory meeting in the last two years i.e 2013-2014. On University administration’s instigation and support ex-faculty member of the Economics Department Muhammad Hanif Kandhero tried to obstruct the Senate Meeting by filing a case (1647/14) in the Sindh High Court. In this case senior teachers of the university we were nominated through Registrar Urdu University. The registrar office informed the teachers after the lapse of the stipulated date about the court notices. This way the administration was successful to win another stay order in the absence of the teachers.
The Senate tenure was ending on December 24, 2014 so the Chancellor of University, exercising his discretionary power as chancellor, called in the nomination committee and Senate meeting in President House Islamabad. In this meeting the Senate decided to send Vice Chancellor on three months’ forced leave and suspended the services of the Registrar. This time again the Vice Chancellor Prof Zafar Iqbal knocked the door of the Sindh High Court to get a stay order against the Senate’s decision, the court allowed stay for the VC but denied issuing stay order for Registrar. Later Vice Chancellor tried to misguide teachers of the university about the Senate meeting by spreading rumors and false propaganda.
Professor Nasir Abbas, Professor Seema Naz Siddiqui, and Dr Suleman D Muhammad along with other colleagues conducted a press conference in Karachi Press Club on December 28, 2014 to present University problems in front of media and civil society. In response to this Press Conference of the teachers the Vice Chancellor issued show cause notices to Prof Nasir Abbas, Dr Suleman D Muhammad and Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan for going to the media and writing about the malpractices of his team to the chancellor of the university. But this is clear that these notices are illegal and violates academic freedom. The replies from the teachers were not accepted and show cause notices were served on these teachers for the second time. The administration of the university is adamant upon terminating the services of the senior teaching staff who have devoted much of their life to the service of the institution.
Subsequently the Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qaiser was bestowed with additional charge of Vice Chancellor of the Federal Urdu University in the absence of Dr Zafar. However due to the stay order Dr Qaisar was unable to take charge thus at present there is no vice chancellor, registrar, treasurer, controller of examinations, deputy registrar at the varsity while various faculties are operating without a full time Dean.
The federal government must initiate an independent investigation in to the matter of 14 teaching staff of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST), that has hampered the academic session of 13,000 students studying in different discipline at the varsity’s campuses. The government run institution is the only one of its kind in Pakistan to promote science and technology and where the medium of instruction is Urdu.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) urges the authorities to take immediate action to restore the academic activities in Federal Urdu University and stop the victimization of the senior teaching staff of the University for using their right to protest against the malpractices of chancellor and registrar. The federal government must intervene and restore the decision of the Senate of the University to save the academic year of 13,000 students.
