Top judge orders removal of PU’S vice chancellor

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday ordered the removal of the Punjab University’s Vice Chancellor (VC) Zakaria Zakar during the hearing of a case pertaining to the Punjab government’s takeover of two kanals of the varsity’s land earlier this year.

He ordered authorities to appoint the senior most professor of the university as the interim VC.

Dr Zakar was appointed the provisional VC by the Punjab government in January this year after Zaffar Mueen resigned citing unavoidable circumstance. He had opposed the provincial government’s demands to hand over two kanals of the university’s land to a religious party for constructing a seminary.

According to the university calendar, the senior most professor should be appointed as acting VC. Professor Taqi Zahid Butt is the senior most professor at present but he was not chosen for the role, and Dr Zakar was appointed instead. It is not yet clear if Prof Butt will replace Zakar on the chief justice’s order.

Justice Nisar had taken a suo motu notice of the matter at the request of a professor from the Punjab University Law College. He expressed anger at authorities’ apparent failure to “appoint a permanent VC in over two years” as well as the syndicate’s agreement to hand over the varsity’s property to the authorities.

“It has been proven that a permanent VC is not being appointed so that the government’s demands — whether legal or ILLEGAL — CAN BE Fulilled,” JUSTICE Nisar said and summoned syndicate’s members who had allegedly agreed to government’s demands for university land to demand an explanation.