Punjab University ICS another scandal

Another scandal at PU ICS comes to limelight
Lahore, Dec 24: Another scandal has come to the limelight in the Punjab University's Institute of Communication Studies (ICS), in which the director and Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FSBS) dean are accused of illegally favouring a female ICS employee, who had previously accused both of them of sexual harassment.

According to documented evidence as well as fresh application submitted by ICS Assistant Professor Dr Affira Hamid to the PU vice chancellor with diary number 14815/VC dated 03-12-2010, a copy of which is available with Daily Times, FSBS Dean Dr Mugheesuddin and ICS Director Dr Ahsan Akthar were accused of misuse of authority.

In her application, Dr Affira states, "I draw your kind attention towards continuing of extremely irresponsible attitude of the ICS director, who again prepared a fake certificate, with subject: 'Internship, ref D/1791/ICS dated October 10, 2010,' which was addressed to Farrukh Bashir, PTV Lahore general manager. This fake document was given to Azqa, who is working as an assistant in an FM radio station of ICS and passed her MA in the 2006-08 session. She is no more a student, but in this fake certificate Dr Ahsan has misinformed the PTV Lahore GM that Azqa is a student of MSCS (Replica), Specialisation in the Electronic Media, session 2008-10."

She said Azqa had submitted a written complaint of harassment by Dr Mughees, former director of ICS and now dean of Social and Behavioural Sciences, as well as Dr Ahsan. Later, surprisingly, she was provided a job in an FM radio station.

Dr Affira said, "This fake certificate is an obvious misconduct by the director. All students, faculty members and employees of the ICS know well that Azqa is working with a radio station and is not a student, as Dr Ahsan had misinformed PTV authorities, who are already reluctant to accommodate our students for internships. It will create problems to accommodate our students in PTV."

She wrote that this illegal action taken by Dr Ahsan, who has already been punished in a sexual harassment case and facing another inquiry on charges of illegal action, showed permanency in his negative, irresponsible and illegal attitude.

She has requested the vice chancellor to expedite action on her previous complaint for restoring the image of the ICS and the Punjab University.

Dr Affira has also attached with her application, the fake document addressed to the GM of PTV Lahore as well as the copy of the application of sexual harassment submitted by Azqa to the VC.

It may be noted that a PU inquiry officer has already held Dr Mughees and Dr Ahsan responsible for changing a result sheet and passing four failed students by affixing fake signatures of an external examiner, making an illegal committee for MPhil admissions and passing two failed MPhil students, who are also junior lecturers in the ICS. On the recommendations of the inquiry officer, and PU Syndicate, the VC has also served show-cause notices on both the teachers under the Punjab Employees Efficiency and Discipline and Accountability Act (PEEDA) 2006. However, some influential personalities and a Jamaat-e-Islami-backed teachers group was trying to rescue them. Daily times

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PU Exam Dept
Lahore: Punjab University (PU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran inaugurated the newly-constructed second floor of the Examination Department building which cost Rs 02 crore on New Campus on Thursday morning.

Speaking on the occasion, the PU Vice Chancellor said the incumbent administration was sparing no efforts to extend infrastructural facilities as well as providing latest computerisation and modern equipment to varsity employees so that they could effectively cater to rapidly multiplying examination requirements in the coming years. He also instructed the Project Director to complete the construction work of another block adjacent to the existing building for effectively meeting the office's requirements of the existing Examination Department functionaries. The news

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PU results
Lahore: The Punjab University on Wednesday declared the results of Diploma in Hindi, semester system, session 2009-10, MSc Tourism and Hotel Management (morning), semester system, session 2007-09 and M.Phil Kashmiriyat, semester system, session 2005-07.

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PU, IJT clash over event
Lahore: Panic gripped the Punjab University (PU) Hostel No 4 on Thursday evening when the varsity administration, using force, did not allow the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) to organize a function in connection with its 64th Foundation Day.

A minor clash also took place between the IJT activists and the PU security guards. After showing strong resistance, the activists of the Jamiat, a student wing of Jamat-e-Islami (JI), left the venue and moved towards the varsity's Student-Teacher Center (STC) at the New Campus.

Earlier on Thursday morning, the PU administration also removed Jamiat's posters displayed in connection with the event.

According to PU resident officer Prof Javed Sami, the IJT was not allowed to use the varsity premises because it had not sought any permission to organize the function of its Youm-e-Taasees (Foundation Day).

He said the PU security guards had locked the hostel's main entrance and, despite strong resistance from the IJT activists, they were not allowed to hold the event there. When asked as to why the PU administration had not stopped the Jamiat from holding the event at the STC, he said the varsity administration had done whatever it could.

He said police always seemed reluctant to come on the varsity call. He alleged that some Jamiat activists also damaged some property of the Hostel No 4 when they were resisted by the PU security guards.

However, the IJT office bearers, talking to reporters, denied causing any damage to the varsity property. Unfortunately, the PU administration had never allowed the Jamiat to organize positive and constructive activities at the university campus. The news

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Shortlist for GCU registrar
Lahore: The Government College University's Syndicate committee on Thursday interviewed 15 shortlisted candidates for the post of registrar and reportedly selected a panel of three aspirants, including incumbent registrar Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid as a principal candidate.

It is reliably learnt that 29 candidates had applied for the post of registrar, however, only 15 were shortlisted, including a school headmistress, because she fulfilled the criteria advertised for the post. The syndicate committee chaired by vice-chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Aftab selected three applicants â€" GCU incumbent registrar Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid; a director serving at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology and a former registrar of Islamia University Bahawalpur.

As Mr Khurshid's three-year contract tenure had recently completed, VC Prof Aftab had forwarded a case to the Punjab higher education department that Mr Khurshid's contract period be considered as probation and his services be regularised as registrar. The higher education department had sought advice from the Punjab government's regulation wing that opined that vice-chancellor's request to consider registrar's three-year contract tenure as probation period was against the law. The regulation wing had advised that the post should be re-advertised.

The university administration did not shortlist varsity's senior professors, who were serving on Tenure Track System, explaining that the Higher Education Commission did not allow faculty members serving on TTS to apply for administrative posts. Dawn

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Rs5m for digital library at AIMC
Lahore: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced a grant of Rs5 million for the construction of a digital library at the Allama Iqbal Medical College.

Speaking at the inauguration of AIMCON International Conference 2010 at the college on Wednesday, Sharif said many doctors were discharging their duties in developed countries after getting education in medical colleges of Pakistan. He said not only foreign doctors but also Pakistani doctors and paramedics took part in relief work after recent floods.

Sharif said people donated generously for the rehabilitation of flood survivors and deposited Rs1.33 billion in his account. He said the Punjab government imported six modern mobile health units for provision of quality medical facilities to the people of rural and backward areas on their doorstep. He said the first mobile health unit would be inaugurated on Dec 25.

Besides doctors from America and Britain, a large number of professors, surgeons and doctors from across Pakistan participated in the conference. Dawn

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Students briefed on 'Rescue 1122'
Rawalpindi: In order to know the system of response to emergencies like road accidents, building collapse incidents, fire emergencies, hazard material incidents and disasters, students and staff of the SLS Montessori & School visited the 'Rescue 1122' office situated along Rawal Road here on Thursday.

'Rescue 1122' Emergency Officer Deeba Shahnaz Akhter briefed students and teachers on the system. They also visited control room and observed response and monitoring system of the service.

The principal of the school communicated with the Jhelum control room and then Lahore PMC control room with Deputy Director Operation and Administration Dr. Shahzad through video conference call. She appreciated the internal system of the service. The news

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