On 28 November, 2012, after over 10 years of service in the Higher Education Commission, my father was unceremoniously, and illegally, asked to vacate his position. After failing to remove Dr Syed Sohail Hussain Naqvi from the HEC for the last few years, the government decided to assign the additional responsibility of the Executive Director of the HEC to the Secretary, Ministry of Education and Trainings.
In doing so, they have created a stalemate in the HEC since my father was appointed, as per law, by the full board of governors of HEC and cannot be relieved of his duties in this arbitrary manner. This is illegal because my father was recently given a four-year extension by the commission consisting of people appointed by the prime minister of Pakistan. Legally, the prime minister can appoint members of the commission, and that is where his powers end. Appointment of the executive director is the prerogative of the commission and not any other person or body, including the prime minister of Pakistan. Knowing this restriction, the Pakistan Peoples Party first tried to declare the original appointment of my father in 2004 as executive director illegal. This argument is, of course, ridiculous as confirmed by no less an authority than the best legal mind of the PPP, Aitzaz Ahsan, who stated that everything about that appointment process was absolutely legal.
I might be beginning to sound a bit long winded, but as the person in question is my father, people will automatically assume that my bias will skew the facts. I am simply trying to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the government is 100 percent in the wrong.
My father graduated from Hasan Abdal and topped his class, graduated Purdue University with a perfect GPA and got a PhD in refractive optics at the age of 25, was a tenured professor at the University of New Mexico before the age of 30, helped start up a company which made cutting edge machines that measured dimensions of nanometre sized structures, was the Dean of Electrical Engineering at GIK Institute of Science and Technology, VP of Operations at Enabling Technologies, and of course, Executive Director of the HEC for the past eight years.
Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules, nothing can take away what my dad has done for Pakistan. Arif Kiyani is definitely someone none of you have ever heard of. He has no relation to General Kayani, far from that actually. He first started to work for the University Grants Commission in 1989 as a driver, and was there when it became the HEC in 2002. He has often told me of how much he admires the conduct of my dad, but the best thing he said was “Sahab wo insaan hai jis ne aaj tak mujhe ‘tu’ tak nahi kaha”. Loosely translated, it means my dad is someone who has never once in all his years working with Arif Bhai addressed him by ‘tu’, a casual and sometimes disrespectful way of addressing someone.
I think it is fair to say that the HEC has had a tremendously positive impact on the country. This of course is not down to my father alone. Everyone from Dr Atta-ur-Rehman to the gardeners and security guards at HEC have played their part. That is not to say that the HEC is perfect. There is a lot of room for improvement, and no one recognises that more than my father. He is constantly striving to learn from his mistakes, take on the advice of others and grow and move forward.
SHAZIL NAQVI
Lahore
Those with open eyes and active/honest mindset are all in support of your father young man. We are all proud of him and hoping that governemnt come to (or made) to its senses sooner than later and let HEC continue as it was proudly doing since its inception in 2002.
Your father did great job! He is true leader of Pakistan.
In these times of cholera in Pakistan, nobody is safe. But what I personally abhor is the alacrity with which the erstwhile subservient employees change loyalties . Beware the dog that bites the hand that feeds it because it will be the same genre that will lick the boot that kicks it.
Your father played a pivotal for the graduation of higher education sector. But on the other hand,he misused his authority and got the extension for 4 years illegally by ignoring all formalities. He showed his selfishness and give a very wrong message that every thing in Pakistan if you are rick.We were not expecting that he will play a dirty role. He was not in favor of the employees to go the court but now,he himself is trying to go the court.
Keep in mind that there is no threat on the autonomy of HEC. You will be glad to note that Dr. Naqvi has made the systems in a way where individuals are not important. Many competent and highly qualified regular employees have been retired after attaining the age of 60 and nobody was granted extension even for a day but system has been working efficiently. Therefore, I want to assure that after exit of Dr. Sohail Naqvi and even Dr. Javed Laghari ,HEC will function on the same pace or even in a better way. Therefore, we hope that the successor may perform in a more professional manner to stat new initiatives in HEC. However, the services of Dr. Atta- ur- Raham and Dr. Sohail H. Naqvi are commendable and will be remembered for a longer time. However, It would not be out of way to mention that after Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, no pragmatic initiative was taken by his any successor. So, I again tribute to Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman. But , I also strongly condemn his existing role being played by him to save an individual’s service at the stake of HEC autonomy. I am afraid that he is being misled by his foes that is why, he is losing his prestige, respect and honor rapidly for nothing.
His extensions in the term as ED are very much within the Act of HEC including his third which has been cut short. The Govt made up its mind to go for the kill which is why this was orchestrated. During his time I am sure he must have made some mistakes, who doesn't, but nobody even his staunchest opponents can point a finger at his character, honesty, hardwork, and qualification. Post Dr. Atta period it was a bigger challenge to keep the ship merely afloat as the Govt had slashed the funds. Now do keep a close look at HEC and see it returning to darker days of UGC as the monkey business has just begun.
Dr Sohail Naqvi is a great. Being a human, he has his failings too, the most glaring being his arrogance.
sohail naqvi is a certified idiot who is qualified to be a fish vendor, he should have nothing to do with higher education
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