DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The controversy surrounding 411 permanent appointments made at Gomal University during the past year has intensified, with questions being raised over their legal status, financial implications and the procedure followed in the recruitment process.
While critics have demanded a thorough investigation into the matter, the university administration maintains that all appointments were made strictly in accordance with the law, merit and relevant rules and regulations.
According to available records, a total of 411 permanent appointments were made in different Basic Pay Scales (BPS) during the one-year tenure of Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal. The appointments included 30 positions in BPS-21, 70 in BPS-20, 88 in BPS-19, 111 in BPS-18, eight in BPS-17, six in BPS-16, one in BPS-15, 17 in BPS-14, eight in BPS-12, 22 in BPS-11, one in BPS-10, 42 in BPS-8 and seven in BPS-7.
Critics have termed the number of appointments unusually high and claimed that the decision has created an additional financial burden of around Rs 400 million per month on the university. They have raised questions regarding the legal procedure, claiming that some appointments were made without the required No Objection Certificates (NOCs), and have called for an independent and transparent inquiry into the entire process.
They further claim that the growing financial pressure has created difficulties for the university, including reports that pension payments to retired employees have been affected. These concerns have been raised despite financial assistance of around Rs2.5 billion reportedly provided to the university by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
However, the university administration and supporters of the vice chancellor have presented a different view. They argue that the figure of 411 appointments does not represent new recruitments alone, as a large number of these cases involved one-step promotions.
According to them, several teachers and employees had been waiting for promotions for many years and were granted advancement under applicable rules. They also stated that a number of faculty members who had completed higher education abroad returned and became eligible for appointments or promotions on merit, while the number of fresh recruitments remained limited.
Regarding the legal proceedings, reports suggest that the vice chancellor approached different courts against inquiry-related proceedings. According to available information, petitions were filed before the Dera Ismail Khan Bench of the Peshawar High Court, the principal seat of the Peshawar High Court, and later before civil and sessions courts. However, the final legal outcome of these proceedings has not yet been determined.
Legal observers point out that approaching courts is a legal right of every citizen and that seeking judicial relief does not, by itself, prove or disprove any allegations.
Another claim emerging in connection with the appointments is that around 90 percent of the candidates belonged to divisions other than Dera Ismail Khan. However, no independent official verification of this claim has so far been made available.
The final outcome of the inquiry and legal proceedings is still awaited. It will be for the relevant investigation authorities and courts to determine whether the appointments were carried out completely in accordance with rules and regulations or whether any irregularities occurred.
