ISLAMABAD: In addition to facing difficulties in paying salaries to employees on time, Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU), one of the country`s topranked institutions, is struggling to maintain chemical supplies for its laboratories due to a shortage of funds.

QAU Islamabad, ranked among Pakistan`s top academic institutions, is facing an unprecedented financial crisis that has brought its core operations to the brink of collapse.

`The Joint Coordination Council, representing both teaching and non-teaching staff, has issued a fervent appeal to the federal government, calling for immediate intervention and the release of emergency funds to keep the university running, said a press release issued by QAU employees.

The Academic Staff Association (ASA) of the university had issued a statement on Sunday, claiming that the university had been facing difficulties in arranging chemical supplies for the laboratories. It said since 2023, the QAU had been facing a severe financial crisis and struggling to fund essential activities such as research, external examiner payments, medical expenses, part-time teaching, extra workload, andlaboratory chemical supplies.

Speaking on behalf of the council, spokesperson Hassan Shah addressed a detailed statement to the prime minister and other senior authorities requesting a bailout package.

He warned that the university is no longer able to pay salaries or pensions, leaving thousands of students and staff facing uncertainty.

The council revealed that QAU`s financial woes have deepened due to stagnant funding since 2018, despite rising inflation.

For the nscal year 2024, the university urgently requires at least Rs2.5 billion, but no disbursement has been made so far.

As a result, academic and research activities are suffering severely.

The statement said that several alarming indicators of the crisis were highlighted.

`June 2024 salaries were delayed, July salaries remain unpaid, and many retired employees have not received their pensions for months. The university`s pension fund has been completely depleted, and support staff salaries are alsoin jeopardy. Moreover, a proposed 25pc budget increase from the HEC remains pending approval,` it added.

Calling education a national priority, the coordination council urged the prime minister to take personal notice and ensure that the necessary funds are released without delay.

The council and the Officers and Employees Association cautioned that if the salaries for June and July and 40pc of thepending budget are not addressed by July 31, a peaceful protest camp will be launched from August 1.

Earlier, on Sunday, the Academic Staff Association (ASA) also issued a statement on QAU`s financial crisis. `Since 2023, QAU has faced a severe financial crisis, struggling to fund essential activities such as research, external examiner payments, medical expenses, part-time teaching, extra workload, and laboratory chemical supplies,` read a statement issued by the ASA.

It said that QAU is on the brink of financial collapse.

`With a deficit exceeding Rs1.5 billion, the university urgently seeks government intervention to avert bankruptcy,` the ASA stated.

`Earlier this year, the university took a Rs200 million loan from a private bank to cover salaries due in March.

The debt remains unpaid. As of this month, QAU can only disburse partial salaries, and the recently announced government pay and pension increases have yet to be implemented.

Persistent underfunding, rising operational costs, and administrative inefficiencies have worsened the crisis,` the ASA pointed out.

It added that hundreds of unauthorised students continue to occupy the boys` hostels, with air conditioners running continuously, further inflating utility and maintenance costs and compounding the financial burden.

`Each month, the university spends Rs40 million on hostels and Rs13 million on subsidisedtransport. Despite orders to vacate hostels by July 13 following the summer closure on July 9, some students remain, and the city administration has not cooperated in enforcing the vacate notice,` read the press release.

The association demanded a bailout of Rs5 billion from the government, also urging it to initiate immediate reforms to address governance failures and financial mismanagement.

Earlier in March, the Ministry of Federal Education had moved a summary requesting the federal government to provide a bailout package worth Rs2.5 billion for three struggling universities, including QAU, the International Islamic University Islamabad, and the Federal Urdu University.

When contacted, a QAU official said that the university has been making efforts to secure funding from the federal government.

`The university has formally appealed to the relevant authorities for a financial assistance package. We are optimistic that the government will take timely action to prevent any potential crisis,` he said.

He added that there is no administrative or financial mismanagement; rather, the university is facing a severe financial crunch.

The official said the university management had learned that the education ministry was in the process of securing a Rs2 billion bailout package for QAU and that the matter would soon be placed before the Economic Coordination Committee.