Islamabad - A public sector university has suspended some 30 staffers who were either ghost employees or appointed in violation of the rules by former vice-chancellor.
An internal inquiry committee of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology (FUUAST) Islamabad had recommended the removal of the employees from the posts after investigation. The employees including teaching and non-teaching staff of various cadres were appointed during January 2013 to March 2015 by the former Vice-Chancellor Dr Zafar Iqbal whom President Mamnoon Hussain had sent on three-month forced leave on corruption charges in December last and then he was removed from the post.
Of these suspended employees, about 10 were appointed as faculty members either on fake degrees or their qualifications were not up to the set standards.
A professor Adnan Haider, who was appointed at electrical engineering department of the university, claimed to have post-doc from Harvard University but he could not produce his degree before the probe committee, said a university official. He was paid Rs 0.3 million per month.
The committee has recommended drawing the salaries back from the ghost employees and referring their cases to National Accountability Bureau and Federal Investigation Agency for further action.
Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr Mohammad Salman told The Nation the former vice chancellor during his tenure appointed some 125 employees at both campuses of the university in Islamabad and Karachi. A five-member committee was formed after the VC’s removal by the President Hussain that found 30 employees who were appointed violating set criteria or they were existent only on papers and drawing salaries but never visited the campuses.
The university, especially its Islamabad campus, has remained the centre of controversies and politicking since last year over allegation of corruption including construction of campuses in two cities without approval of University Senate and the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Rs 150 million scam, and ghost and out of the way appointments by the former VC. A probe by former justice of Federal Shariat Court appointed by the University Senate had proven the corruption allegations true after which the VC was removed from the post by the President.