LAHORE: Issue of appointment of vice chancellor at the Punjab University has taken a new turn after a new name comes to limelight for being appointed as the caretaker vice chancellor, Daily Times has learnt.

According to reliable sources at Punjab University, as per the court’s verdict pertaining to the vice chancellor appointment, name of Dr Fakharul Haq Noori has come to the limelight for being the most senior professor at the Punjab University in terms of service length.

Initially, Dr Taqi Zahid Butt was being considered the most senior professor at the Punjab University, but Dr Butt has seniority in terms of being a professor and not in terms of length of service.

Dr Fakharul Haq Noori is a professor at Department of Urdu, who joined the university on November 19, 1984 as lecturer in the same department. Dr Shahid Kamal, who is serving as College of Statistical and Actuarial Sciences (CSAS), follows Dr Noori. Dr Shahid joined PU as lecturer on July 9, 1985.

Meanwhile, Dr Taqi Zahid Butt joined PU on January 16, 1992.

It is pertinent to mention here that the tenure of current Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran was expired in January 2016. Then he was appointed look after vice chancellor by the Punjab governor.

His tenure was later extended along with three more look-after vice chancellors. A case was then filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the appointment of Dr Mujahid Kamran and three other VCs. Last week, the court in its judgement announced the Punjab government to remove all look after vice chancellors and constitute separate search committees for appointment of regular VC.

The written verdict of LHC released on December 5 stated, “During the interregnum while the process for appointment of the Vice Chancellor is being undertaken, the most senior professor in terms of length of service shall be appointed by Government of the Punjab as Vice Chancellor for the public sector universities in respect of whom the appointment have to be made. ”

When contacted, Punjab University Additional Registrar Dr Kamran Abid told Daily Times that according to verdict of LHC of appointing the senior most professor in terms of length of service, Dr Fakhrul Haq Noori has most lengthy service among all professors.

Dr Kamran said that the court verdict stated that any VC should not be given extension, as per the Public Sector Universities Amendment Act 2012; therefore, the practice was s not being followed by provincial governments. He said that the government had given look-after charge to the VC after their retirement instead of granting them extension.

Dr Kamran added, “We are trying to take all VCs on one page for the appeal against the decision.” To a query regarding whether they will file an intra-court appeal or will go to the Supreme Court, Kamran was of the view that they were reviewing the matter, and would decide accordingly.