KARACHI: The Federal Urdu University of Arts Science and Technology’s (FUUAST) teachers have appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar to take suo moto notice of university’s educational and financial crises.
Addressing a press conference at Karachi press conference on Wednesday Dr Iftikhar Ahmed Tahiri, Dr. Irfan Aziz, Dr Faisal Javaid and Dr. Faisal Dashti and others charged since the appointment of expelled vice chancellor in February 2013, rampant corruption has been almost institutionalized in the university.
Dr Irfan Aziz said academic and research activities at the varsity have been totally paralyzed, putting the future over 20,000 students at stake. He alleged that the former VC had used his official position for personal advantage and monetary benefits.
He also said that the Auditor General of Pakistan has already highlighted more than 50 financial discrepancies in the accounts of the varsity.
Dr. Tahir Ali said teachers were protesting peacefully against attempts to reinstate the ex-vice chancellor, who was initially deposed because of proven plagiarism charges. His PhD thesis was cancelled by the syndicate of Karachi University after an inquiry initiated by HEC report on the verdict of the court.
He said arrests of protesting teachers have created unrest among faculty members of public sector universities across Pakistan.
They said that the teachers of FUUAST have been facing several problems, which has affected the overall environment of the varsity.
Demanding establishment of a selection board, they said this selection board should be formed as soon as possible to select senior faculty members to run the university. They said the role of elected teachers in decision making forums of FUUAST must be strengthened.
They demanded that aged and retired officials who have been re-hired on lucrative contracts in violation of the rules of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) should be removed and a through probe be launched in massive corruption and bungling the FUUAST funds and affairs.