While the CM is away, the HED will play

Behind Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s back, the Higher Education Department (HED) has sent the summary to the CM Secretariat for the appointment of a third divisioner as the Punjab University vice chancellor (VC), Pakistan Today learnt on Wednesday. According to the HED sources, the department has recommended the name of PU’s Institute of Administrative Sciences (IAS) former head Dr Zafar Iqbal Jadoon who had third division in intermediate and second division in Matriculation and BA. Dr Jadoon is also a close relative of former Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Tufail and among the main candidates with the support of JI.
The sources said the department had sent three names to the CM Secretariat, including Garrison University VC Dr Jamil Anwer, PU’s Acting VC Professor Dr Mujahid Kamran and Dr Zafar Iqbal Jadoon. HED Secretary Dr Ejaz Munir confirmed the details but refused to comment on the issue. The decision to recommend the name of a third divisioner for the post of PU VC has met severe criticism. The CM had said earlier that no third divisioner would be appointed as the VC of any public university.
According to the HED sources, the HED officials had tried to favour Dr Jadoon while the CM was in Turkey and due to return in a couple of days. Earlier, the search committee had recommended Dr Jadoon for the post of Bahauddin Zakriya University, Multan VC, however the CM had rejected his name for being a third divisioner. After the 18th amendment, the CM has complete authority to appoint the public universities’ VCs. The PU faculty members complained that former dean Dr Hafiz Iqbal had been rejected on being a third divisoner but Dr Jadoon had been considered. They demanded the CM take notice of the favouritism done in the matter.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Dr Zafar Iqbal Jadoon said that the search committee had recommended the names for appointment as PU VC following a merit formula based on percentage of marks achieved by the candidate from matric to PhD. He said further that his name wouldn’t have been on the list if he had received a third division in his academic record. Rejecting the claims that he was a third divisioner, Dr Jadoon said that he did his PhD from the South California University, which would not have been possible if he was a third divisioner.