Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) are at odds over the issue of shifting of the university’s principal seat to Islamabad.

Well placed sources told Pakistan Today that the HEC had started building pressure on the university management and had given three-month time for shifting the whole university management from Karachi to Islamabad.

They said that the Federal Urdu University has been directed to shift the principal seat to Islamabad in line with the charter of the university and report should be submitted to the HEC within three months regarding the steps taken in this regard.

The university was established on November 13, 2002 under Ordinance No CXIX of 2002 promulgated by the President of Pakistan by taking over two federal government colleges namely Federal Urdu Science College, Karachi and Federal Urdu Arts College, Karachi.

As per provision of this ordinance, the university has its principal seat in Islamabad. The university has two satellite campuses: the central campus in Karachi, while the other campus is located in Islamabad.

Muhammad Rafiq Baloch, HEC Director General Quality Assurance Agency, has written a letter to the university management in which he stated that in accordance with University ordinance the principal seat of the university should have been in Islamabad.

The university Karachi campus has been given the status of principal seat, which is not in line with the charter of the university; hence the management should be shifted to Islamabad from Karachi.

Talking to Pakistan Today, Ayesha Akram, HEC director media, said that the university is federally charted; hence as per its rules its principal seat must have been in Islamabad instead of Karachi.

She said that being a federal university, the authority reminded it a number of times to shift its principal seat to Islamabad, but to no avail, because no effort has been taken hitherto in this regard.

She said that there is no issue of university and HEC, because the HEC being a regulatory body just wanted to rectify the wrongs and bring things in line with the set policies of the universities, so it is a dichotomy and is needed to be rectified.

When this scribe contacted, Prof Sulaiman D Mohammad, the acting vice chancellor of Urdu University confirmed that the university got the HEC’s letter.

He said that it is written in the university ordinance that the principal seat should be set up in Islamabad; however, the government neither provided the land nor the required resources so how the whole management could be shifted to Islamabad.

He revealed that even the university is established at WAPDA building for which they the university is paying rent, adding that the WAPDA has given notice to the university to vacate the building.

He said that since it is very old issue and now the decision could only be taken after approval of PC 1 and provision of the much-needed resources.

To a question about some differences between HEC and the University, he said, “It is basically a biding of the ordinance, so the university must have to shift the management; however it could only possible if the government provided enough space and resources.