LAHORE: The appointment of a BPS-20 officer by the Punjab management as the vice chancellor of the newly-established the Khatamun-Nabiyyeen (PBUH) University, Lahore, has raised many eyebrows in the academic circles.

Outgoing Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi inaugurated the university on Jan 15 while the plan for the university was unfolded last month. The government had established the university at the Quran Institute, Mian Mir, under the Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department.

The institute has a state-of-the-art building and an area of 50 kanals.

According to a notification, `Mr Manzoor Hussain (PMS/BS-20), presently posted as Member, Chief Minister`s Inspection Team (CMIT), is hereby assigned the charge of thepost of Vice Chancellor, KhatamunNabiyyeen University, Lahore, with immediate effect, on a temporary basis, as stopgap arrangement, for a period of six months or till the arrival of regular incumbent, whichever is earlier, under section 14(9) read with section 10(6) of the Khatamun-Nabiyyeen University, Lahore Act, 2022.

On Dec 23, 2022, the Punjab Assembly (PA) had unanimously passed a bill regarding establishment of the university aimed at promotion of religious education in the province.

Federation of All Pakistan Universities Punjab chapter president Prof Dr Azhar Naeem condemned the appointment of a bureaucrat as a VC, saying that the government had appointed an inservice bureaucrat against the post which showed that it wanted to destroy the educational institutions. He said the bureaucrats could not upgrade their own institutions, how would they make universities better.

He demanded the government cancel the appointment of a BPS-20 bureaucrat as VC, warning it of a countrywide protest by the teachers if it did not reverse its decision. He said anybody with a PhD on the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) should be appointed as the VC.