The Vice Chancellor posted Chairmen in certain departments who are under serious enquiries, public audit paras, respective ineligibilities has been evaluated by Departmental Committees, Provincial Audit Team and Governor Inspection Team
By: S.K. Sami
A notification issued on 3rd May, 2021 as right two days prior to the Eid holidays in the ongoing month from the Registrar office of Islamia College, Peshawar stating that the Vice Chancellor of the university has made appointment of chairpersons in various departments. According to details in the official documents Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam has been posted as Chairman Department of English, Dr. Shahid Jan Kaka khel of Management Sciences, Dr. Hafiz Hifazatullah of Islamic Theology, Dr. Iqbal Hussain Chemistry while Dr. Muhammad Salim Khan to serve as Chairman of Botany Department. According to authentic information received to Country News the current Vice Chancellor Dr. Gul Majid Khan has awarded chairmanship of Botany department to Dr. Muhammad Salim Khan, who had been found guilty in alleged corruption in tender for repair and maintenance of hostels building, on which the Governor Inspection Team (GIT) had recommended recovery of rupees 19.3 million amount from the person. The audit observations and findings establish that “according to rules 14.1.1 of the financial rules of the university, doubtful and misappropriate expenditure have been made with irregular manners” The report also declared that the financial rules were thoroughly ignored by cash transactions rather than recorded in the Measurement Book, which need justification.
According to another authentic documented information a Committee headed by an official of grade 22 and two senior Deans and Registrar ICP, regarding allegations on Dr. Shahid Jan Kaka Khel of bogus experience, overlapped and irrelevant experience of parallel jobs getting multiple salaries, he was recommended onwards to the syndicate for removal from the service.
Moreover, the decision of Scrutiny Committee of the Institute had regretted to post Dr. Hafiz Hifazatullah as professor Theology due to irrelevant qualification. The board wrote to Hifazatullah that he has completed his Mphil and Phd in Arabic discipline instead of theology for which he was declared ineligible for the post in Islamic Theology Department. The Committee declared him ineligible for the post of Professor in the department of Islamic Theology on subject relevancy and he is already running the Arabic department as Head of Department because his major subject of study was Arabic. An official source informed that it is on record that on the very objection of a member of syndicate he has been placed and transferred to Arabic department as per his subject relevancy while the university is also facing a court case in this matter, official confirmed.
Official documents denotes that even though the syndicate held on December, 30th , 2020, authorized the then Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Janbakht to look into all prose and cones while approving such appointments. It was investigated that the syndicate referred case with all evidences to the ex VC for approval if found fair otherwise. However due to the above issues of certain faculty members he kept aside these controversial cases in order not to violate the rules while all other appointments of lecturers approved on next day of the syndicate as held four days prior to this syndicate as on 26th December, 2020. The source informed that the appointments of certain departments were kept pending by the ex Vice Chancellor to avoid any legal complications.
A reliable source confirmed that notification regarding these appointments of chairmen of different departments made in the first week of May has not been delivered through proper channel. In order to keep the decision hidden till some specific time, notification has only been circulated via whatsapp mean to the newly appointed chairmen and have been filed in office record, official mentioned.
The Registrar Dr. Qasim Mansoor Jalali was repeatedly tried to be contacted through various means of communication but he even did not bother to respond to the allegations. However the Vice Chancellor Dr. Gul Majid Khan when asked about these certain appointments, he said that all documents and reports were not in his tenure and he just endorsed the syndicate referral file. However if any complications occurred or complaints lodged by any official he is ready to re-visit the decision, the VC confirmed. When Dr. Gul Majid was asked about his personal opinion about such appointments despite of strong allegations, he answered that he is unable to give any opinion. The Secretary of Governor Inspection Team, Jan Gul while responding regarding to the story about these appointments, despite of serious allegations have been approved by the Governor, told that the policy states that the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as Chancellor of the university is the appellate authority who after receiving appeal will approve another inquiry of the matter for action, he briefed.