Punjab University has suspended two senior professors, Azhar Naeem and Kamran Abid, from service over alleged illegal appointments and promotions. The Punjab University faculty suspension was ordered on October 23, after the Punjab Assembly's Standing Committee on Higher Education directed action. Both men are suspended with immediate effect until further orders, and the decision is subject to approval from the university's syndicate, its main governing body.
What the suspension orders say
The standing committee met on October 22 and took up adjournment motion No 406/26, which concerned the alleged illegal appointments of the two professors. The motion was moved by MPA Raja Shaukat Bhatti, who alleged that Azhar Naeem had secured an unmerited promotion and a disputed scholarship. He said Kamran Abid's case was identical, and the committee agreed to start formal disciplinary action against both. The appointments and promotions under scrutiny date back to 2014.
The committee asked the university to complete a comprehensive inquiry and place its facts and compliance measures before the committee within a fortnight. It also said that administrative officers and other officials found involved in the irregularities should be named in the final report, and that all recruitment and promotion records should be scrutinised. Proceedings are to be carried out under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act, a provincial law for disciplining public employees.
Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah issued the suspension orders under Section 15(3) of the University of the Punjab Act, 1973. Azhar Naeem is a professor at the Institute of Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering, and Kamran Abid is the institute's director. Both have been asked to report to the registrar's office and will receive subsistence allowance, the payment made to staff under suspension, as the rules provide. In a separate order, Associate Professor Dr Fainan Hanif was given charge of the director's office's routine affairs on a stop-gap basis until further orders.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 2014: The appointments and promotions of the two professors, now under review, were made.
- October 22: The Punjab Assembly standing committee meets, takes up adjournment motion No 406/26 and directs action against both professors.
- October 23: Punjab University issues suspension notifications for Azhar Naeem and Kamran Abid, with immediate effect until further orders.
- Monday, October 26: The Punjab University Joint Action Committee (PUJAC) plans a meeting to review the matter and decide its next steps.
Reactions and next steps
The Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) welcomed the committee's intervention and its call for an inquiry. Its president, Dr Amjad Abbas Magsi, said the Lahore High Court had also ordered an inquiry into the appointments. PUJAC took a harsher line, accusing the administration of withholding facts and presenting a "one-sided" account to the committee. It also said the administration had not disclosed the High Court's ruling on the appointments, and that it would pursue legal remedies.
Affectees of the university's Town III housing project, people who are still waiting for plots, also welcomed the suspensions and asked for investigations into the appointments and promotions. Their president, Dr Khurram Shehzad, alleged that the assets of the two professors grew substantially after the project was launched. He said both men had served on its management committee, Azhar Naeem as secretary and Kamran Abid as member, and that affectees have waited for their plots for the last 10 years. These claims have not been tested, and the inquiry is still pending.
The university must complete its inquiry and place the facts before the standing committee within a fortnight. The suspension orders still need syndicate approval, and PUJAC has said it will decide its next course of action after its Monday meeting. Until then, both professors remain suspended, and the director's office is being run on an interim basis.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab University ne do senior professors, Dr Azhar Naeem aur Dr Kamran Abid, ko ghair qanooni taqreer aur tarakki ke ilzam par mo'attal kar diya hai. Yeh faisla Punjab Assembly ki standing committee ki hidayat par hua, aur suspension ke orders 23 October ko jaari hue. Inquiry ki report do hafton mein paish honi hai, aur yeh suspension syndicate ki manzoori ke baad hi pakka hoga. Aam shehri ke liye matlab yeh hai ke university mein bharti aur tarakki ke faislon ki jaanch ab sakhti se ho rahi hai.
