Key Takeaways
- Sindh government has approved four-year extensions for several university vice chancellors.
- The extensions include Dr Ikramuddin, Dr Zahid Hussain Khand, and Dr Arbela Bhutto.
- The decision was made on political and recommendation-based grounds.
The Sindh government has extended the tenures of several university vice chancellors for another four years, according to official reports. The extensions were approved for Dr Ikramuddin, the vice chancellor of Liaquat Medical University; Dr Zahid Hussain Khand, the vice chancellor of Aror University of Art, Architecture and Design and Heritage Sukkur; and Dr Arbela Bhutto, the vice chancellor of Shaheed Allah Bakhsh University.
This decision comes after the tenure of Dr Nusrat Shah, daughter of former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, was extended in August. Dr Nusrat Shah is the vice chancellor of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana.
The extension for Dr Zahid Khand was reportedly made on political and recommendation-based grounds. The extensions for the vice chancellors of Aror University and Shaheed Allah Bakhsh University were reportedly approved on the recommendation of Sindh Assembly Speaker Owais Qadir Shah.
Earlier, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah had opposed the extension for Professor Zahid Khand and had suggested appointing a new vice chancellor through an advertisement and selection board. He had also recommended that if no suitable candidate was found, Zahid Hussain Khand could be reappointed as vice chancellor.
The approval process was not straightforward, with the chief minister having to approve a rejected summary again after the speaker’s recommendation.
The extensions for these university vice chancellors are part of a broader policy by the Sindh government to ensure continuity and stability in the management of public universities.
The decision has been met with mixed reactions, with some stakeholders supporting the move for its political and recommendation-based nature, while others have expressed concerns over the process and the suitability of the current vice chancellors.
The Sindh government has not provided further details on the specific criteria used for the extensions, leaving many questions unanswered.
