LAHORE: The Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) has plunged into a constitutional crisis as two rival factions, one led by President Dr Amjad Abbas Magsi and the other by Secretary General Dr Kamran Abid, openly clashed over the provincial administration`s decision to deduct two-day salary and curtail conveyance allowances.

The rift, which turned physical during a heated session on April 23, resulted in parallel claims of authority and a total breakdown of communication within the association`s leadership.

In an Executive Council meeting on April 24, chaired by Prof Dr Abdul Rehman Niazi and supervised by Secretary General Dr Kamran Abid,the council formally condemned President Dr Amjad Abbas Magsi. The council alleged that during a meeting with the vice chancellor on April 22, Dr Magsi broke rank to support the university administration`s plan for salary deductions.

The council maintained that such financial measures were `unlawful` without the explicit approval of the Finance & Planning Committee (F&PC) and the Syndicate. The council passed a resolution to convene a General Body meeting to address the president`s alleged `alignment with the administration.

Dr Magsi fired back with a scathing statement, describing the opposition`s actions as `physical aggression` and `moral bankruptcy.` He accused members of attempting to physically assault him three times during the April 23 meeting. He declared the subsequent April 24 meeting `illegal and unconstitutional, arguing that no session could be convened without presidential approval.

He alleged the unrest was `deliberately engineered` to distract from serious institutional issues, including financial irregularities in the Town-3 project and the School of Economics building. He said the disruption occurred despite the vice chancellor agreeing to key ASA demands, such as issuing performance evaluation amounts in May and processing research grants.

While the secretary`s faction is moving toward a general body vote to sideline the president, Dr Magsi has demanded a full, impartial inquiry into the `thuggish` behaviour before any further ASA business proceedings.

AWARD: Punjab University`s Prof Dr Nousheen Zaidi was awarded the Georg Forster Research Award on Friday.

German Embassy in Islamabad Deputy Head of Mission Mr Arno Kirchhof gave a reception for the distinguished academic and scientific representatives at the Annemarie-SchimmelHaus in Lahore on Friday evening.

Dr Zaidi holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Tübingen University in Germany and has held research positions at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Janssen Pharmaceutica.