HEC tug of war continues

The ongoing crisis in the Higher Education Commission (HEC) deepened after the HEC chairman declared the very first order of the newly-appointed executive director (ED) null and void.
The ED, Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, on Monday transferred Director General (Administration) Awais Ahmed to the post of research and development DG and was replaced by previous research and development DG Dr Mazhar Saeed.
However, HEC Chairman Dr Javed Leghari declared the transfer null and void.
“Dr Javaid Leghari has declared today’s office orders of postings/transfers of various HEC officers passed by Qamar Zaman null and void. The HEC chairperson said in a letter that the commission had already decided that the Establishment Division did not have the jurisdiction to appoint the executive director to the HEC,” said a press release.
On November 28, the Establishment Division removed Dr Sohail Naqvi from his illegal position and gave the additional charge of ED to Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, presently posted as Education and Training Division secretary. HEC Chairman Javed Leghari initially accepted the appointment on November 29, but now seems reluctant to allow him to do his work.
Reacting to the chairman’s step, the employees of HEC announced holding protest demonstration on Wednesday. “We are going to stage a massive protest at HEC against the chairman for challenging the government by barring the ED from performing his duty. We demand the government to remover the chairman from his post for challenging the government’s writ,” a senior official of the HEC said.
Of late, HEC Officers Welfare Association (OWA) and Employees Welfare Association (EWA), representing over 600 permanent employees, have vowed to extend full cooperation to the new ED.
HEC employees lauded the action of the prime minister of Pakistan for declaring all appointments/extensions in MP scales illegal, and giving additional charge to Chaudhry.
“The order of the federal government giving additional charge to Chaudhry is absolutely in accordance with the rules,” they said.
They urged former executive director, Dr Sohail Naqvi, to wholeheartedly accept the government’s decision and stop spreading malicious information against the government. The employees said confusion was being spread regarding authority for appointment in MP scale.
The HEC Ordinance 2002 does not authorise the commission to recruit any officer in the MP scale because recruitment/extension in MP scale is the sole prerogative of the prime minister.
“HEC autonomy has not been compromised and the commission will continue to work with the same pace, as envisaged in HEC Ordinance 2002,” said Nasir Shah, vice president of OWA.