LAHORE: Contrary to the past practice, the Punjab government`s notified search committee which interviewed nearly 50 senior doctors for the appointment of regular vice chancellors of five medical universities has kept the candidates in the dark about the internal assessment marks they obtained in the name of `merit and transparency`.

The search committee was to allot the marks on the basis of academic qualifications, experience and research papers of the shortlisted candidates.

The medical universities are: the King Edward Medical University (KEMU), L ahore; the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Lahore; the Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU), Lahore; the Faisalabad Medical University (FMU); and the Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU).

In 2017, the then search committee formed for these varsities had updated each candidate who appeared in the interview about the internal marks he/she had obtained. The purpose was to ensure that the candidates were updated about the merit to avoid litigation. But this time round thecandidates are shocked to find out that they have not been informed about the status of the internal assessment points/marks the search committee has given them.

The five-member search committee notified on May 30 is likely to hold a crucialmeeting on Wednesday (today) for the selection of a panel of three candidates against each university as it is bound to complete the process within three weeks of its constitution. The candidates would be shortlisted from amongst 50 senior medical teachers on the basis of their academic achievements and the marks they obtained during interviews.

Headed by retired Justice Tassadug Hussain Jillani, the committee comprises Punjab Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department Secretary Ali Jan, Allama Iqbal Medical College`s ex-principal Prof Eice Mohammad, Punjab Information Technology Board ex-chairman Dr Umar Saif and Prof Moazzam Nazeer Tarar, ex-professor/executive director & head of Jinnah Burn and Reconstructive Surgery Centre.

An official says the search committee is bound to follow the decision of the Supreme Court to recommend names of three persons `in the order of merit` to the gov-ernment for the appointment of one of them as a regular VC.

`The Search Committee shall complete its work within a period of three weeks and submit/recommend names of three persons in the order of merit to the Government which shall proceed to notify the person of highest merit unless there are cogent reasons for not appointing him which shall be duly recorded in writing and shall be justifiable,` reads the decision.

The SC had given this decision when a number of doctors had raised objections to the appointments of vice chancellors of the medical universities against merit and questioned the process and constitution of the search committee. Following the SC order, the then Punjab government re-constituted the search committee and informed the apex court that the process had been initiated afresh, the of ficial source said.

As for the new selection process, he said, the candidates wanted that the government ensure recommendation of a panel of three candidates against each university by the search committee as ordered by the SC rather than recommending the names `alphabetically`.

While giving reference of another such decision of a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, on July 2021, he said, the SC had declared the appointment of a candidate as VC of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad illegal for being low on merit. The PTI government had appointed a candidate who was recommended by the search committee on the second number of the merit. The committee had recommended Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan at the top for security 94.2 marks.

In the strong-worded decision, the SC had directed the government to make his appointment as UAF VC while declaring the appointment of the other candidate `illegal, arbitrary, capricious and unbridled exercise of discretion.

The official said the candidates who appeared in the interviews now had expressed reservations for keeping them in the dark about the marks. It had created doubts about the transparency in the selection process, he said, adding that the candidates were already perturbed over rumours that `influential contestants` wanted recommendations of names `alphabetically` to get favours. They had asked Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz to ensure that the search committee followed the merit, he said.