KARACHl: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the vice chancellor (VC) of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) to appear in person over non-payment of post-retirement and pensionary benefits to the retired employees.

A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Saleem Jessar summoned the VC along with complete record of accounts and budget of the university on Nov 6.

A set of identical petitions was filed by over two dozen former employees of the varsity and they submitted that they retired from the positions of associate & assistant professors, lecturers, assistant controllers, superintendents and lower-grade posts between 2021 and 2024.

However, they submitted that the respondents have yet to release their G.P.

fund, commutation, leave encashment and pension and sought directives for respondents to immediately release their dues.

At the outset of the hearing, the counsel for the petitioners filed the statement along with a set of documents and the lawyer for the respondent university also produced copies of some letters of the Fuuast, Islamabad, about allocation of funds for payment of pensionary benefits of petitioners/retirees.

However, the bench noted that it was not satisfied with the stance of the varsity as a huge amount in terms of contribution of employees was available with the institution and, despite that, the VC and registrar of Fuuast were avoiding paying such benefits to the petitioners, which was their legal right.

`We, therefore, order that respondent No. 2 [VC of Fuuast] shall remain present before this court along with complete record pertaining to the accounts and budget. In case of non-compliance with this order, the same shall be deemed as defiance of the order of the court, attracting the consequences contemplated under Article 204 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973`, it concluded.