AJK Ehtesab Bureau summons Women University VC in appointments case

The vice chancellor and some other officials of a nascent public sector university in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have been summoned by the Ehtesab Bureau to record their statements on alleged irregularities and favoritism in appointments and other administrative matters, it has been learnt.

Dr Muhammad Haleem Khan, Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Women University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (WUAJK), Bagh, and Registrar Dr Mohammad Riaz had been asked to appear before the bureau’s director (investigations) Sardar Ilyas Khan in Muzaffarabad respectively on May 16 and 17, while members of the varsity’s scrutiny/selection committee as well as a complainant would appear on May 18, according to the relevant sources.

The WUAJK was established by an Act of the AJK Assembly in 2014, and the then secretary higher education Dr Saima Shahjehan was appointed its VC as a stopgap arrangement.

Dr Haleem was appointed as her successor on May 2, 2014 for a three-year term.

 According to a comprehensive complaint filed in October last year by Shahzad Khan, a civil society activist from Bagh, the WUAJK officials had made a “mockery” of the rules as well as judgments of the AJK Supreme Court in making appointments against as many as 83 gazetted posts.

The advertisement for permanent appointment against these B-16 and B-17 posts in 32 different departments was published in January 2015, in response to which some 500 candidates had submitted applications.

The WUAJK hired National Testing System (NTS) for recruitment, which conducted written exam in September 2015 while interviews were held after two months.

The record submitted by the complainant, almost all of which was also obtained by this scribe, and an initial inquiry into it revealed that the varsity had “thrown dust into the eyes of the candidates” by recruiting the already serving employees “in a questionable manner.”

As the WUAJK had adopted the rules, regulations, policies and statues of the University of AJK, Muzaffarabad, to run its affairs, it was required to invite the top five successful candidates in written exam for interviews.

However, following the written exam results, the WUAJK invited all candidates for interviews allegedly to ensure that the favorites, most of them already serving employees, were not left out.

Candidates were shocked to see that almost all of the permanent appointees were those who had failed to make it to the top five in the written exam, “in what amounted to frustrating rather mocking the perceived purpose of involving NTS in recruitment process.”

In one of the several such examples, a candidate who was beyond 40th position in written exam was also declared successful.

Similarly, a candidate with one 3^rd division also got permanent appointment, even though his competitors included those who had secured first divisions throughout their academic career.

Under the Higher Education Commission (HEC) rules, a person with single third division in educational career cannot be hired as faculty member.

However, in order to accommodate favorites, the WUAJK administration misled the HEC to obtain relaxation of this rule, by citing “non-availability” of faculty in the “hard area.”

Even a candidate, who had secured only 43 marks below the passing criteria of WUAJK, was gifted with appointment against the post of programmer.

The complainant had cited several other cases of favoritism and irregularities.

For example, an ex-serviceman was appointed as chief security officer on June 25, 2014, but he was assigned the task of making purchases for the varsity on June 10, two weeks before his appointment.

Sources said that initial investigation into the complaint was conducted by director (complaints) Amjad Minhas and on his report the case was transferred to director (investigations) Sardar Ilyas Khan by Ehtesab Bureau Chairman Raja Ghazanfar Ali.

Sources also claimed that WUAJK administration had planned to stall bureau’s proceedings on this case but had to cut a sorry figure after AJK President Sardar Masood Khan, who happens to be the chancellor of all public sector varsities, did not agree, and instead advised them to defend themselves before the bureau if they were not guilty.

Interestingly, in a bizarre move, Dr Haleem had obtained a 2-year extension on March 9, 2016 from the then President (and chancellor) Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan, more than 14 months before the expiry of his 3-year term.

Tariq Naqash 

Students across AJK show solidarity with their brethren in IHK

Thousands of schoolchildren, accompanied by sizeable number of adults, staged rallies and demonstrations across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday to condemn unceasing Indian atrocities on innocent people of held Kashmir, particularly the recent crackdowns on educational institutions, and show solidarity with the victims.

Drawn from state-run institutions, the students paraded through the streets in almost all major cities and towns, holding banners and placards, inscribed with a variety of slogans calling for an end to the state sponsored terrorism in held Kashmir as well as intervention of the United Nations (UN) and international community for an early solution to the lingering dispute, in accordance with the wishes of Kashmiri people.

Students gather at Burhan Wani Chowk for solidarity show

In state capital Muzaffarabad, the protesting students first gathered at Burhan Wani Chowk near Press Club, where they were briefly addressed by AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Minister for Education Barrister Iftikhar Gillani, renowned Kashmiri activists Uzair Ghazali and Mushtaqul Islam and some representatives of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC).

 Some of the students were holding black flags while some were carrying national flags of Pakistan and AJK, which they kept on waiving throughout the demonstration.

After the speeches were over, the gathering, led by the AJK premier, marched towards the office of the UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) near Domel, where a protest note was delivered to the UN observers.

Young girls enthusiastically chant anti India slogans

All along the march, participants kept on chanting slogans: “Hai haq hamara azadi, hum cheen k lain gay azadi (freedom is our right and we will snatch it).”

Speaking to correspondents on the occasion, young boys and girls said they were deeply impressed and inspired by the outstanding gallantry of Kashmiri youth while challenging a ferocious army equipped with lethal weapons.

“Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters in occupied Kashmir who have been braving the worst ever repression of modern history at the hands of brute Indian forces… I pay salute to their heroism,” said Tayyiba Batool a tenth grade student.

“The Pharaoh and Nimrod also considered themselves the mightiest but eventually they were devastated by the Allah Almighty, and same will happen to their likes in today’s world,” she added in an attempt to give solace to the oppressed Kashmiris.

Many also lamented the silence of the UN and said it was high time the World Body played its long-overdue role in resolving the longest pending issue on its agenda to justify its creation and existence.

“As a result of the unrelenting repression by Indian troops, the calamitous situation in the held Valley warrants for immediate action by the UN. And if the UN does not rise to the occasion, there is no point of having such a toothless and worthless organization,” said Daniyal Mumtaz, wearing traditional Boy Scout uniform.

He said the demonstrations were a message that notwithstanding the bloody line that separated Kashmiris from each other, people on this side of the divide were fully conscious and concerned about the sufferings of their brethren in held Kashmir.

AJK premier leads the rally towards UN office

Responding to question by some media persons, PM Haider called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to ensure stoppage of atrocities on the Kashmiris as well as their freedom from Indian yoke, “because it was his responsibility as leader of the Quaid-e-Azam’s party.”

He said the Kashmiris wanted a peaceful solution to their problem and would give another chance to the UN and world community to make it happen.

“Otherwise the responsibility of further aggravation of situation will not rest on the Kashmiris,” he said. 

Participants of a similar rally in Rawalakot, led by deputy commissioner Poonch Raja Tahir Mumtaz, also presented a memorandum to the UN observers in the town.

Similar rallies were held not only at all district headquarters, but also at many tehsil headquarters in AJK.

Tariq Naqash