Will Dr Ata Athar remain VC of FUUAST?

KARACHI: Prof. Dr. Athar Ata, a dual nationality holder, has been appointed as the permanent Vice-Chancellor of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences and Technology (FUUAST), after the approval of Chancellor Dr. Arif Alvi.

On the other hand,  Professor Dr Muhammad Zahid has also challenged the forgery and misleading information of the search committee in the court, which was heard in the Sindh High Court yesterday. In the hearing the lawyer of the search committee, Anwar Mansoor presented the excuse for not having documents and the hearing was adjourned until February 24.

Dr. Muhammad Zahid had approached the Sindh High Court under 5549/2021 in which he had taken a position that the candidates were shortlisted contrary to the advertisement given for the appointment of Permanent Vice-Chancellor in Urdu University.

He had told the court that the search committee had finalized three names and sent them to the Chancellor, including Dr. Shahid Qureshi, Associate Professor, IBA University, Dr. Athar Ata, a dual citizen, and Zafarullah Qureshi respectively.

Later, the Higher Education Commission submitted a report in the court proving Dr. Zahid’s position to be correct, stating that only 9 research papers have been published in the authoritative journals of Dr. Shahid Qureshi’s Higher Education Commission and that of Dr. Zafarullah Qureshi. A total of 7 research papers have been published, while according to the advertisement of the search committee, 15 research papers were required.

Dr Muhammad Zahid in his petition had requested the court that instead of sending a panel of 3 to the Chancellor of the University, the search committee had sent a misleading panel of 3 candidates including the first and third candidates as per the advertisement. The search committee became controversial and the list submitted by it should be declared incomplete because the first and third-ranked candidates could not be shortlisted for the interview.

It is to be noted that due to the case of Dr. Muhammad Zahid being heard in the court, despite the notification of the Vice Chancellorship of Dr. Shahid Qureshi, the number one candidate from the Presidency, he had refused to join, as the matter was before the court. 

It may be recalled that the former Permanent Vice-Chancellor of FUUAST, Prof. Dr. Altaf Hussain was also removed from the post of Vice-Chancellor due to a similar minor mistake. In the panel sent to the President and Chancellor of Universities, Dr Arif Alvi, two candidates were included in the panel contrary to the advertisement, due to which the search committee has become controversial.

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It should be noted that the first hearing of Constitutional Petition No. 5549/2021 of Dr. Muhammad Zahid was held on 16th February, after which the hearing was held on 17th February. The hearing was also held on February 21 in which the parties gave arguments in which Anwar Mansoor, counsel for the search committee, gave an excuse for not having certain documents due to which the court has fixed February 24 for the next hearing.

It is to be noted that even before this, in the Constitutional Petition No. 5205/2021 of Dr Muhammad Zahid, the Sindh High Court had ordered the Search Committee as to why it had outsourced its action and ordered to repeat all the action. The committee had shortlisted a panel consisting of only one candidate.