Peshawar University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) strongly condemned the intervention of certain elements in the internal affairs of the University of Peshawar. The PUTA Executive Committee met at Teachers’ Community Centre in chair of PUTA its President Dr Johar Ali.
In the meeting participating members showed deep concern over the press conference against the vice chancellor held by political and social networks at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, August 25. Members said the University of Peshawar was a prestigious university which was defamed by irrelevant news items and vested interests who have politicised the plagiarism issue. PUTA members targeted the press conference held by the civil society network as ‘unjustified intervention into the university affairs.’
PUTA said it did stand by academic dishonesty. However, it said that statutory bodies exist under the HEC Act which deal with university issues and it decides on the matter after. They said the vice chancellor has approached the PHC and challenged the jurisdiction of HEC and its plagiarism policy, therefore, it is binding on all to respect the PHC and wait till the case was decided.
If PUTA stands for academic dishonesty (as written in the first line of last paragraph) it is shameful for it. PUTA has been an organization which always stood by academic and intellectual honesty. I would like to resign from such organization.
Universities are public institutions. The society has every right, rather it is its responsibility to keep a check on its working more than any other public institution. University autonomy does not mean its isolation. Interference means if someone uses his or her power, bureaucratic, political or social to influence its decisions for violating merit, but it has the civil society has the right and duty to see that the university is run in accordance with its laws and merit.
Plagiarism of the Vice Chancellor is not an internal affair of the university. it is of serious public interest, if a plagiarist, defined as a dacoit by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, is running the affairs of the university.
PUTA president should have read the order of the PHC and consulted some lawyer before issuing the statement. PHC has asked HEC to continue the investigation while stopping it from taking any action against him. It must be pointed out that, the HEC was only conducting inquiry on the request of the Chancellor and was not trying to take any action against the VC, for which it has not power and it has never claimed that power.
The Chancellor being the appointing authority do have the power to take action. University's own statutory bodies were irrelevant in the case of the VC as they are subordinate to him.
HEC has reportedly, submitted its report to the HEC and has found the Azmat Hayat's (the VC) PH.D thesis to be plagiarized. The action will be and must be taken by the Chancellor. PHC has not restrained the Chancellor from taking any action.
Another issue that is argued by the university;s spokesman that HEC plagiarism policy was announced in 2007, so cases of plagiarism are not covered and thus plagiarism committed before 2007 is not illegal, is an argument that is baseless and shows the complete bankruptcy and incompetency of the University Authorities. Plagiarism (NAQAL) has always been a crime. its minimum penalty has always been cancellation of the degree and withdrawal of all benefits/ termination of any jobs etc that the plagiarist got due to the cancelled degree.
Is PUTA representative of University Teachers or of Azmat Hayat.
I am not the well known Dr. Nasir Ali Khan of IMS Hayatabad. He is part and parcel of Dr. Johar's group.
Universities are public institutions. The society has every right, rather it is its responsibility to keep a check on its working more than any other public institution. University autonomy does not mean its isolation. Interference means if someone uses his or her power, bureaucratic, political or social to influence its decisions for violating merit, but it has the civil society has the right and duty to see that the university is run in accordance with its laws and merit.
Plagiarism of the Vice Chancellor is not an internal affair of the university. it is of serious public interest, if a plagiarist, defined as a dacoit by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, is running the affairs of the university.
PUTA president should have read the order of the PHC and consulted some lawyer before issuing the statement. PHC has asked HEC to continue the investigation while stopping it from taking any action against him. It must be pointed out that, the HEC was only conducting inquiry on the request of the Chancellor and was not trying to take any action against the VC, for which it has not power and it has never claimed that power.
The Chancellor being the appointing authority do have the power to take action. University's own statutory bodies were irrelevant in the case of the VC as they are subordinate to him.
HEC has reportedly, submitted its report to the HEC and has found the Azmat Hayat's (the VC) PH.D thesis to be plagiarized. The action will be and must be taken by the Chancellor. PHC has not restrained the Chancellor from taking any action.
Another issue that is argued by the university;s spokesman that HEC plagiarism policy was announced in 2007, so cases of plagiarism are not covered and thus plagiarism committed before 2007 is not illegal, is an argument that is baseless and shows the complete bankruptcy and incompetency of the University Authorities. Plagiarism (NAQAL) has always been a crime. its minimum penalty has always been cancellation of the degree and withdrawal of all benefits/ termination of any jobs etc that the plagiarist got due to the cancelled degree.
Is PUTA representative of University Teachers or of Azmat Hayat.
I fully agree with Dr. Nasir Ali Khan. Civil society organizations are as much stakeholders in public sector universities as are the teachers and students. PUTA has become representative of the corrupt, incompetent and plagiarist Vice Chancellor, I am afraid. It is because of the week and incompetent leadership. I have remained the GS of PUTA and FAPUASA for two years. PUTA has had concern over not only matters within the University but outside too. PUTA played a very important role in the matters of public and national importance, whether it was restoration of juridiciary or demanding from the General Pervez Musharraf . Now it has become a mouth piece of Vice Chancellor! Shame on PUTA! It should not have been other civil society organization of KP urging the Chancellor to remove a plagiarist from the prestigious position of Vice Chancellorship but the PUTA. What an irony: PUTA stands by the plagiarist and civil society is standing for his removal. We stand by the civil society and demand from the Chancellor to immediately remove him. Soon after Eid we should invite the civil society organizations on the campus for holding a seminar on Plagiarism and its effects on the society.
A statement from Dr. Johar Ali, President PUTA
thesis thesis hotha hay, Plagiarized (Naqal Shuda) Ho Ya Original Research Ka Nateeja
i m very sorry for the spokesman who in his interview said that the plagiarism policy was implemented in 2007, and azmat hayat thesis was published before the implementation of this policy, shame on you who ever you are and the position you hold, and shame on such VC who is holding the PHD degree and calling him self a scholar, and he is teaching the lesson of honesty. i remember a meeting with him; when he was giving a lecture on cheating, that cheating in exam is the biggest dishonesty to one self and to this country. shame on him and on the peshawar university teachers association who are supporting him.
I fully endorse the frank and candid comments by Dr. Nasser Ali Khan. The press release of PUTA is uncalled for on this occasion and that the civil society does have a concern. PUTA had itself been shying away so far from taking a public position on the issue but if the civil society has spoken they have no right to criticise them.
Why does PUTA leadership forget the role of incumbent VC in bringing changes in the University Act, 1974 without the knowledge or consultation with PUTA and that at that time we welcomed the support of the civil society when they supported our cause.
Why doesn't PUTA leadership express concern over the fact that for the last three years no meeting of the Academic Council has been held and scores of matters are pending a decision of this apex academic body. Meetings of the Syndicate and Senate are also over due for almost an year and decisions are taken arbitrarily.
Almost two months are completing without the approval of the Budget for 2011-12. Somehow PUTA has expressed any concern on these matters but it surely wants to protect the management on this occasion.
We also know that several members of PUTA did not approve academic dishonesty and supported the concern of Civil Society but the press release has ignored those sentiments. Isn't it unfair!
Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) has always played an important role in matters of public importance whether it was struggle against dictotors like Zia ul Haq or Pervez Musharraf, restoration of judiciary and natural clamaties like earth quacks or floods etc. But at the moment PUTA is in the hands of a bunch of selfish and opportunist leadership under Dr. Johar Ali who are using PUTA for their selfish and petty interests. The present leadership of PUTA has lost all support from the university teaching community of the University of Peshawar which stands for academic and intellectual honesty. PUTA will resume and redeem its honor once it gets rid of its present leadership by the end of November, 2011.
If the there is an internal system in the university to address issues, then why someone else, whether civil society (politically backed), should interfere. Secondly, the complainant in this case should firstly justify his own position for totally faked LLM degree. HEC has allowed some limit for homology with other published work, this point should also be kept in mind. And one another thing, supervisor is the main person in this regard, he should be consulted and if he says, it is ok, then it is ok. No need to play politics on this matter. If anyone is more interested in politics, then resign from the university post and the outer field is ready for politics.
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