CM will visit GCU after a decade

LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif will attend today an oath taking ceremony of the Old Ravians’ Union’s (ORU) newly elected body for 2011 at the Government College University (GCU). The CM will be visiting GCU after almost a gap of one decade.
CM was invited by the ORU’s new body lead by the renowned nuclear Scientist Dr Summer Mubarik Mund, who was elected unopposed as the ORU President. Some sources at GCU said that the main purpose to invite to the CM at GCU is to get an extension for GCU Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Khalid Aftab, who by inviting CM will play its last card to decide his fate, as he is going to complete its tenure on February 25. The last time CM visited GCU was in 1999 when he inaugurated a computer science lab. Sources told Pakistan Today that since Sharif came in power in 2008, GCU VC has tried to invite him many times on different occasions but he had avoided visiting GCU.
Some officials in GCU said that Sharif was annoyed with Dr Aftab because of his ‘associations’ with former president Pervaiz Musharraf and former Punjab governor Khalid Maqbool. They said the CM’s visit at GCU is vital for Ravians as the CM could defuse the criticism that had recently erupted for the varsity, on part of the student protests and the corruption within the varsity. They added that the Sharif family have close associations with GCU as Mian Muhmmad Nawaz Sharif, Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Hamza Shahbaz Sharif are all Old Ravians. GCU sources said that rumors were that the CM office had denied giving third time extension to Dr Aftab. They said that Dr Aftab was struggling to get extension for the third time, while he has had a lengthy tenure at GCU; he served as the principal from 1993 to 2002 and as a VC from 2002 and onwards. A GCU’s senior professor said, “Academic activities at GCU are at stake and senior teaches are leaving GCU owing to bad administrative policies. There is no doubt that GCU wants a change and is requesting CM, who after the 18th amendment has the authority to appoint a VC. GCU teachers are hopeful that CM will not do anything that will intensify the sufferings of teachers and students.”