PU VC nullifies Syndicate meeting on wife’s ‘plagiarism’

PU Syndicate members protest non-inclusion of minutes of Feb 27 meeting in agenda for meeting held on June 2

Pakistan Today has learnt that Punjab University (PU) Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran nullified a meeting of the varsity’s Syndicate held on February 27 because “his wife Dr Shazia Qureshi’s case was discussed in detail in that meeting”.

Dr Qureshi, who still serves as PU’s University Law College (ULC) principal, was removed from professorship by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on May 5 while some ULC faculty members have also written against her to the varsity’s chancellor, accusing her of plagiarism.

To PU Syndicate members’ surprise, the minutes of February 27 meeting were not made a part of the agenda of the next meeting held on June 2. In this regard, two members of the syndicate wrote a note of dissent to the PU VC and the Syndicate’s chairman.

In their letter, the members said that the VC told the Syndicate that the February 27 meeting was abrogated because the Lahore High Court (LHC) justice who chaired the meeting was not a member of the syndicate after expiry of his term.

The official PU spokesperson also endorsed this statement to Pakistan Today, saying that a member, whose term of appointment on the body has expired, could not participate in the proceedings of that body.

However, the Syndicate members disagree, continuing in their letter that the chief justice (CJ) of LHC or his nominee is an ex-officio member of Syndicate whose term does not expire until another member is nominated in his/her place. Therefore, the LHC CJ’s nominee could still be considered as Syndicate member on February 27, the letter states.

Moreover, talking to Pakistan Today, a member of the PU Syndicate claimed that the meeting was abrogated because PU VC’s wife Dr Qureshi’s case was discussed in detail in the meeting. The meeting could not be declared null and void per law, he said, decrying the “violation of merit in the varsity these days”.

Furthermore, in their note of dissent, the Syndicate members demanded that February 27 meeting’s proceedings be circulated and made part of the June 2 meeting.