Punjab govt likely to extend PU vice chancellor’s tenure

By
Faizan Zakaria Polani
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13
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With the Punjab University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Mujahid Kamran set to complete his tenure in January 2012, the Punjab government is likely to extend his tenure since no competent candidates are eligible for the slot, Pakistan Today learnt on Sunday.
Government sources said the PU VC had performed well in his first tenure in which a record 460 PhDs were produced and PU had ranked number 4 in the country with the number of research journals published having doubled during his tenure. Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) sources said alternate candidates for the VC slot were either former Islami-Jamiat-Taliba nazims or had a prior record of plagiarism and the Punjab chief minister was likely to avoid taking a risk.
Pride of Performance: Punjab HED sources disclosed the government could give Dr Mujahid Kamran an extension due to his performance. HED sources said the department would advertise the post with only three months left of Kamran’s tenure. They said procedure required them to advertise the position before appointing a VC but was likely to extend the current VC’s tenure.
They said the current PU VC was popular in both the HEC and foreigner universities as both academic and teacher. They said this will not be the first extension since VC tenures at University of Engineering & Technology (UET), Government College University (GCU), University of Sargodha (UOS) and University of Education (UOE).
Religious groups’ pressure: They said there was pressure from a religious political group to appoint a favourable VC and two names had been presented, including recently appointed UOS VC Dr Chaudhry Akram and Textile University Faisalabad VC Dr Niaz but neither was competent to handle the country’s biggest universities. They said the political groups candidates at PU were marred by cases of plagiarism and academic corruption and could give rise to hooliganism and bloodshed at PU given their ex-union leader histories. “The Punjab CM will not take any risk,” they said.
Focus on academic research: Sharing HED data, a HED official said around 460 students will complete their Phd’s in the PU VC’s four year tenure. As it stands 339 candidates have completed their Phd’s at PU and the figure is likely to increase to 460 in the coming three months. He said the PU VC had improved PU and brought in rank with universities in neighbouring countries in its capacity to produce PhDs.
He said the spirit of research was developed in PU after the research publications in impact factor journals increased from 162 in 2007 to 352 in 2010, which improved PU’s rank from 6 in Pakistan to 4. Quaid Azam University Islamabad ranks at 1, Agha Khan University Karachi ranks at 2 and Karachi University (KU) ranks at 3 and PU was expected to surpass KU next year.
A senior HEC official said the HEC was impressed with growth in research at PU and was mindful that current PU VC took charge in 2008 of a varsity in the grip of extremism and the VC had successfully countered the propaganda of a group of teachers and produced a positive result. He said the HEC was aware of the plight of plagiarist Deans and Directors at PU who were stimulating corrupt elements against the VC but hoped the CM will show intelligence and be mindful of the corrupt politics of a religious group at PU.
A PU professor said, “There is no doubt a group of teachers at PU was the reason the number of PhDs decreased. A number of theses are still pending due to these teachers, as a tactic against the current PU VC. He said the PU VC had advocated a research spirit and stimulated students to go abroad to acquire Phds. He said the PU faculty was happy about the Supreme Court decision that grants power to a competent authority to appoint VCs at varsities and hoped the Punjab CM will decide on merit. He said the religious political group simply wanted to implement their writ at PU and want a VC from their group but could offer no competent candidate for the PU VC slot.
He said the Punjab CM’s soft corner the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) had been cause for fear but they trusted the CM to decide on merit when appointing the PU VC. He said the Punjab governments support was important for PU and the PU VC had set up a research group at PU to fight dengue to the surprise of medical university and health department officials.
PU is Pakistan’s biggest university with 73 departments and around 30,000 students.

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13 COMMENTS

  1. This is a manufactured news prepared by the current VC. There seems no contribution from the reporter. These PhD candidates were registered during the period of previous VC Gen. Arshad mahmood. it takes minimum 3 to 5 years to complete PhD. Present VC only harvested the PhD crop of Ge. Arshad Mahood.
    There is nothimng wrong with affiliation with any party. One should not againt the comunity or especially the country. If it is wrong then, It is worth mentioning that the present VC was also the very active member of IJT. All of the big JI members are his close friends who not only participated in his so called second marriage with one of PU faculty member. The current VC is presently strong affiliation with TI.
    During the present VC, PU ranked down. In the previous era, PU got second positions in all Pakistani universities.

  2. ONE THING 100 % SURE THIS VICE CHANCELLOR PROMOTED …RESEARCH CULTURE AT THE MAXIMUM ,AS WRITTEN IN YOUR NEWS
    AND IF SOMEONE IS PRAISED BY ADNAN LODHI IT IS LIKE GETTING NOBEL PRIZE AS VC LOOKS LIKE EINSTIEN

  4. Since the CM has refused to give extention to Mujahid Kamran so he is manuplating the situation through media. Mujahid Kamran is biggest fraud in the history of Punjab University. The successes he claimed are all fake and fabricated. I am 100% agreed that graph of education and research in PU has gone down to earch during his tenure. The coruption cases against Mujahid Kamran are well know to all and it is on record that two crore project just for fixing sign boards and spead breaker in the University was given to a friend of Mosa, the son of Mujahid Kamran. Lots of other embezzlements are also on record. Action awaited against him.

  5. but one thing is for sure that the VC became vocal against the IJT hooligans who do not even spare their own teachers. giving extension is a matter of choice for the CM and no one else can manipulate it. Mr Lodhi, i think only reported what was in the pipeline, without any fabrication.

    • Miss saba I think Dr niaz sb should be the new vice chancellor…there is no charge on him..and he is more tallented than this VC…and NATIONAL TEXTILE UNIV is the proof of this…now go and see this univ..one of the best textile univ of the world.

  6. I am happy to see this news of extion of VC he is gud for PHD scholers n for others but there should be a neutral person who dont hv any connection wd Jamit n other politics in the UNI.

  7. ViceChancellor has done great job in promoting research culture in the varsity. Our department , Electrical Engg is one clear example of it. Since 2008,when Dr Mujahid assumed charge of VC, we have won 40 national and international competitions and earned fame for the varsity and the VC. The success in these contests validates the VC vision of promoting research and abolishing the politics in the varsity. VC has provided us with all the support in terms of finance as well as laboratories to carry the experimentation which ultimately lead to success. It is worthy to mention that no such support was provided by Gen Arshad Mahmood (Previous Vice Chancellor) on our multiple requests.
    It is a matter of great honor for PU that our team is selected by Indian Institute of Technology Bombay from Pakistan to participate in famous International Contest 'TechFest 2012' and all the credit goes to Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran.
    In my view point, Mujahid Kamran has extraordinary capabilities to run the varsity and therefore he should remain VC for next ten years or so.

  8. I strongly agree with Mr. Umar Farooq statement. VC is putting all his efforts to improve the ranking of PU and has taken measures to strengthen PU. Mujahid Kamran is an asset for PU, we should acknowledge his efforts in uplifting PU.

  9. Mr Ali Haider and Mr Ansar Ali should talk with facts and figures. I fear they are IJT activist in the PU who are involved in destroying peace at PU.

  11. Well we all know that VC is corrupt and he is striving hard to gain the extension. But I dont think so that he is serious in improving the education standard. He has done nothing except marriages. I think Dr Niaz Sb is the best choice for the new vice chancellor. He is an extremely honest man and . His reputation is Excellent in not only in Pakistan but in different countries. Punjab university is the biggest univ of Pakistan and VC of this biggest institution should not be choosen on the basis wether he is anti jamiat or not.

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