HEC shortlists five names for vacant position of member

By
Syed Mohammad Askari
|
Web Desk

March 30, 2021

A silver plaque of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is seen on its building in Islamabad. Photo: Higher Education Commission, Pakistan/ Facebook
  • Five names selected for vacant Higher Education Commission seat
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan will approve one of the five names, after which the same member is likely to be appointed the acting chairperson of the HEC.
  • A petition has, meanwhile, been filed in the Sindh High Court against the removal of Dr Banuri from the post of HEC chairperson.

KARACHI: Five people have been shortlisted for a vacant seat in the federal Higher Education Commission. The seat fell vacant after the resignation of Special Assistant on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety to the Prime Minister Sania Nishtar.

The shortlisted people are: former HEC chairpersons Dr Attaur Rehman, Dr Javed Leghari and Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Sustainable Development Policy Institute Executive Director Abid Qayyum Silhari and former Punjab University vice chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran.

An HEC meeting on Monday was chaired by Education and Professional Training Secretary Farah Hamid Khan. In the meeting, Shahnaz Wazir Ali asked why the names for the HEC member are being selected in such a hurry.

Read more: HEC chairman Dr Tariq Banuri removed

The development comes just three days after Dr Tariq Banuri was removed from his post as the HEC chairperson.

Former Balochistan University vice chancellor Javed Iqbal, a member of the HEC, had praised the move to remove Dr Banuri, while some members had condemned it, calling it unnecessary.

In the meeting, it was decided that only the names for the HEC member should be sent to the prime minister. The premier will approve one of the five names, after which the same member is likely to be appointed the acting chairperson of the HEC.

SHC admits petition against Dr Banuri’s removal as HEC chairperson

A petition has, meanwhile, been filed in the Sindh High Court against the removal of Dr Banuri from the post of HEC chairperson.

The court has ordered to keep the post of HEC chairperson vacant till the next hearing.

A notice has been issued to the attorney-general of Pakistan for April 4.

Dr Banuri was appointed the HEC chairperson for four years in 2018, the petitioner said, adding that Dr Banuri has been removed before the expiry of his term.