Hyderabad:
The appointment of a junior professor as a vice-chancellor Pro (Pro VC) of the University of Medical Sciences and Health of Liaquat (Lumhs), Jamshoro, triggered strong opposition from the members of the faculty.
The Lumhs Deans Committee summoned a meeting on Tuesday to express the dissatisfaction concerning the Sindh government’s decision to appoint Dr. Arshad Hussain Abro as a new Pro VC. “The committee stressed that seniority must be respected in the decision -making process, as the government recently appointed a junior candidate for the post,” said a statement published after the meeting. The members of the Committee also expressed their disappointment to the chief minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, for the appointment.
The notification of the appointment of Dr Abro, as of April 18, was published earlier this week by the secretary of universities and boards of directors, Muhammad Abbas Baloch. He should replace the current Pro VC, Professor Dr Seema Naz, who will retire on April 17.
The deans urged the Sindh government to reconsider the appointment to alleviate growing dissatisfaction among the teachers.
In addition, the High Sindh High Court circuit bench (SHC) Hyderabad suspended the appointment of Dr Abro on Tuesday and issued opinions to the provincial government, Secretary Baloch, Secretary of Health and the Lumhs Registrar. The stay was granted in response to a petition deposited by the Combent Pro VC.
His legal advisor informed the court that Dr. Seema was appointed Pro VC for a four -year term on August 30, 2024, and his mandate should conclude in August 2028. The petition also argued that several main teachers had been neglected in favor of a named junior.
The petitioner also noted that the Lumhs union had previously prohibited the Dr. Abro to hold administrative positions. In light of this, the SHC suspended the summary of the provincial government dated March 26 concerning the appointment of Dr Abro, and ordered the respondents to submit their answers before April 22.
People present in Reunion included the Dean of Basic Sciences, Professor Dr Munawar Alam Ansari, Dean of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Professor Dr Moeen Ansari, Dean of Surgery and Allied Sciences, Dr. Ashok Kumar Narsani, dean of dentistry, Professor Dr Feroz Kalhoro, and dean of the community and Muhammad Ilyas Siddiqui, and community medicine and public health Dr Muhammad Ilyas Siddiqui, among others. Professor Dr. Seema Naz also joined the meeting later.