The Governor’s Secretariat issued a letter to the HED secretary and GCU vice-chancellor on Dec 10 and the varsity administration advertised the post of registrar on Dec 14.
The department rejected recommendations of a search committee, which interviewed applicants and selected a panel of three candidates for appointment as registrar to GCU.
Committee’s recommendations were approved by the GCU Syndicate at its 33rd meeting and sent to the HED secretary on Jan 11 for approval of the governor.
The HED secretary rejected search committee’s recommendations and wrote a letter to the GCU vice-chancellor, stating: “I am directed to inform that the case of appointment of registrar to GCU is hereby rejected in the higher education department.
It was decided that the case will be taken up on arrival of a regular vice-chancellor.”
The search committee consisting of former GCU vice-chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab, GCU professor emeritus Dr Khalid Hameed Sheikh and former University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences vice-chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Nawaz had recommended a panel of three candidates for appointment as registrar on a regular basis. The candidates in order of merit
were former GCU registrar Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid, Gul Aziz Awan and Muhammad Ishtiaq.
Later, Khurshid submitted a petition to the governor/chancellor, contending that the HED rejected search committee’s recommendations, which were approved by the university syndicate, without a lawful authority. He said the letter was based on extraneous consideration and issued in violation of the law laid down by the Supreme Court and it should therefore be declared void ab initio. He said the letter stated that search committee’s recommendations had been rejected, but gave no reason.
The governor/chancellor heard Khurshid as well as HED additional secretary Zarak Mirza, GCU physics department chairman Dr Hassan A. Shah and deputy registrar Saboor Ahmad Khan.
As Khurshid contended that HED’s letter was issued without a lawful authority, Mirza said the department rightfully rejected search committee’s recommendations.
After HED’s May 21 letter, syndicate’s 34th meeting on June 20 endorsed Khurshid’s relieving from the post of GCU registrar and endorsed Anjum Nisar’s appointment to the office of the registrar till further orders.
The governor/chancellor in his order stated that he heard the parties and agreed that the HED could not reject search committee’s recommendations. He said the GCU Ordinance 2002 clearly stated that the authority to consider the
appointment of GCU registrar was the governor/chancellor and the HED had no authority whatsoever to reject committee’s recommendations. “Therefore, the HED action, whereby syndicate recommendations were rejected, was ultra vires, void ab initio, non est and illegal.”
GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khaleequr Rehman said governor’s order was against the HED letter. He said the university advertised the registrar’s post as per advice of the HED.
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