LHC restrains UHS from acting on merit list

A division bench of Lahore High Court on Thursday restrained University of Health Sciences (UHS) from implementing the First Combined Merit List prepared by it for admission to the medical colleges in Punjab.
The bench comprising Justice Ch. Shahid Saeed and Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan adjourned further hearing till Monday, 31 October. The court was hearing a petition filed by eight students including Muhammad Zubair and other girl students through their counsel Muhammad Azhar Siddique challenging the entry test policy for medical colleges that denied admission to them despite their excellent marks and positions in FSc examination.
During proceeding on Thursday, UHS counsel Arsalan Husan Syed said UHS did not have any personal benefit in preparing the combined merit list it was prepared under instructions from the PMDC which was empowered for such decisions by 18th Amendment. He said the admission policy had been made by PMDC not by UHS. He said the admission process was transparent and that was why only 10 of the 33,000 students who appeared in the entry test had approached the court. The court said even if one person had grievances against the system, they had the right to approach the court.
UHS’ counsel said the students should have approached the court before the result, to which the counsel for the students said the FSc result was announced on September 11 while the entry test was conducted on September 13 which did not leave enough time for the students to file the case, adding that the UHS had issued the list even when the case was pending in the court.
The petitioners said 50 percent weightage was being given to the entry test (MCAT) while the FSc marks had been ignored. The petitioners also alleged that there was no check and balance for MCAT being conducted by the PMDC.
— SEEKS REPLY ON UHS VC APPOINTMENT: In another case, the LHC sought reply from the government on the appointment of Professor Malik Hussain Mubashir as vice chancellor of University of Health Sciences Lahore. The petitioner had prayed that the appointment was against merit.