–Top court wraps up suo motu notice regarding appointment of VCs in medical universities
–Suspended LCWU VC Dr Uzma Qureshi summoned to explain her position over eligibility
LAHORE: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has directed the owners of the disputed petrol pumps to vacate the land of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) within 60 days.
The SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, resumed the hearing of the case in Lahore registry during which the LDA presented the report regarding rules and regulation of the authority regarding the auction of land.
The CJP directed that LDA’s rules and regulations should be published after which the disputed land should be auctioned.
A petrol pump owner Khawaja Riaz who appeared in the court told that his son serving in the police was martyred in the line of the duty and he was granted a petrol pump by then PML-N government.
Over his stance, the CJP said that Riaz should have received a job or cash instead of a petrol pump. CJP Nisar directed the petrol pump owners to vacate LDA’s disputed land within the next 60 days.
MEDICAL UNIVERSITIES NOTICE:
The top court also wrapped up its suo motu notice over the appointment of vice chancellors (VCs) in public sector medical universities across Punjab.
CJP Justice Saqib Nisar had earlier taken a suo moto notice of vacancies in medical universities’ VC posts and directed the Punjab government to fill the posts of regular VCs with the senior-most doctors and in accordance with strict merit.
The health secretary informed the bench at the Supreme Court Lahore registry earlier on Saturday that Dr Javed Akram has been appointed as the VC of the University of Health Sciences.
Akram previously served as the founding VC of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences and Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University (SZABMU), Islamabad, and as the former principal of Allama Iqbal Medical College Lahore.
The health secretary further told the court that Mustafa Kamal Pasha has been appointed as VC of Nishtar Medical University for a four-year.
With this, VCs of all six public medical universities have now been appointed, the secretary told the court. After listening to the secretary, the top court wrapped up the suo motu hearing of the case.
In April, the apex court had ordered the removal of temporary VCs of Fatima Jinnah Medical College University, Rawalpindi Medical University and Faisalabad Medical University, and directed the concerned authorities to make permanent appointments in their place.
LCWU VC SUMMONED:
The Supreme Court has summoned suspended Vice Chancellor of Lahore College for Woman University (LCWU) Dr Uzma Qureshi to explain her position over a report about her eligibility.
The three-member bench, headed by CJP Mian Saqib Nisar, passed the orders while hearing a suo motu notice of the appointment of Dr Uzma Qureshi as the LCWU VC.
At the outset of the proceedings, Akhuwat Foundation head Dr Amjad Saqib, convener of the committee tasked to probe allegations regarding the eligibility of Dr Uzma Qureshi, submitted a detailed report.
The chief justice read out the report and observed that it had been clearly mentioned that Dr Uzma Qureshi’s appointment was made in violation of merit. As per the report, out of 15, Dr Uzma Qureshi had only seven international publications, he added.
The chief justice, adjourning the matter till Sunday, and summoned Dr Uzma to explain her position.
It is pertinent to mention here that on April 22, the bench had suspended Qureshi after she refused to resign from her seat in view of the allegations levelled about her eligibility. The bench had directed the government to form a committee to look into the allegations against and sought a report.
