PESHAWAR: Appointments of registrar, controller of examinations, assistant provost and many lecturers in Abdul Wali Khan University (AWKU) were challenged in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday.

An assistant professor of Government Postgraduate College Mardan, Meraj Khan filed a writ petition in the high court through his counsel Amjad Ali, in which he made AWKU chancellor, vice-chancellor and registrar, Higher Education Department secretary and others as respondents.

The petitioner claimed that he and other highly qualified professors were ignored in the appointments, while unqualified and retired persons were appointed in the AWKU, which is illegal.

On September 6, 2008, he said, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) issued a letter for obtaining willingness of the qualified professors under the AWKU Ordinance 2009 and they showed their willingness for the appointment in the university.

It said the petitioner was running from pillar to post for his right under the ordinance being member of the faculty as constituent college along with high qualification and experience, but the Higher Education Department secretary on July 29 transferred him as the principal of the Government College Katlang (Mardan), which is illegal and without lawful authority. The petitioner did MA in English and Master in Sciences in Secondary Education with English as its endorsement area from Alcorn State University, USA.

On the other hand, the petitioner claimed that university appointed a retired employee of Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, as controller of examinations in BPS-20, who is neither has the requisite qualification nor experience. It said that the vice chancellor AWKU appointed his blue-eyed Tariq as registrar.

The petitioner claimed in the petition that Amjad was appointed lecturer in English without appearing in any test and he did not have first division even in his whole career. He stated that Ayaz Ahmed son of Muhammad Afzal was above 50 years and selected on a post of assistant provost. The other appointed lecturer, Tariq Mahmood, the petitioner claimed, was not having a first division MA degree and six-year experience as required.

It said that other appointed lecturers including Muhammad Amin (Islamiayat), Hayat Ullah (English), Mian Sherin (Chemistry), Sher Alam (Maths), Muhammad Anwar (Physics), Janas Khas (Zoology), Hussain Ahmad (Botany), Habibur Rehman (Statistics), Gul Nabi (English) and numerous others retired persons have been appointed whereas fresh persons with MPhil, PhD degrees were available.

The petitioner said that he was being deprived of appointment as associate professor of English in the university. Furthermore, he said, numerous retired persons were re-employed, which was totally illegal and unlawful.

The petitioner also claimed that the vice-chancellor of the university had employed one complete family against different posts in different universities, which was a classic example of nepotism. He said that employees of BPS 1 to 16 had been appointed without advertising the posts, which was a gross violation of Article 18 of the Constitution coupled with Supreme Court Monthly Review (SCMR) wherein it has been held that no appointment shall be made without advertising the posts.

He said the vice-chancellor made illegal appointment of his nephew Abbas as lecturer in computer sciences and Hina, cousin of VC’s wife, as teaching assistant in political science in AWKU. The petitioner requested the high court that the impugned appointments may please be suspended till decision on the writ petition.The news.