PU allocates land for Orange Train project conditionally

The Punjab University Syndicate in its 17th meeting on Saturday decided to allocate a 36,000 square feet land near Chouburji for Orange Train project following a request by the Lahore Development Authority. But in return, the meeting had placed some conditions to be met: first, a request ought to be forwarded to the Punjab government to ensure money for a research endowment fund and second, the Lahore Development Authority ought to resolve the university's pending issues.
A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed with the Lahore Development Authority and the Water and Sanitation Authority. Sources said the Principal of the Punjab University College of Information Technology, Dr Mansoor Sarwar, never turned for the third time up for Saturday's meeting. In absence of him, vice-chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran chaired.
Dr Sarwar was supposed to defend his alleged illegal appointment as professor and principal though his brother who managed to show up did present a medical certificate, as he did in the past two meetings, claiming Dr Sarwar was suffering from an acute gastro-enteritis. As the Syndicate was hearing Dr Sarwar's case following an order by the Lahore High Court, Additional Registrar 1 Dr Kamran Abid told the meeting that the medical certificate lacked any stamp or signature of a doctor who gave the prescription.
It also emerged that Dr Sarwar's absence would no longer be tolerated and if he were to do so again, a final decision would be taken without hearing him. There were questions too raised about a writ by petitioner Dr Naseer Ahmed about Dr Sarwar's appointment, showing it to be true as per record.
The sources also claimed that the Syndicate unanimously decided to endorse orders to sack Dr Amtul Jamil Sami from the directorship of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology after hearing her and other department faculty. The rest of the institute's faculty had gone against Dr Sami in 18 applications challenging her eligibility as a professor. After conducting a detailed inquiry, Life Sciences Dean Faculty Professor Dr Naeem Khan recommended that she be given the sack following her gross negligence, misconduct and mismanagement and leadership failure. The dean also proposed that the issue of her appointment as a professor of biochemistry be probed and evaluated.
The second participant to be absent was Dr Makshoof Athar of the Institute of Chemistry who was supposed to defend his appointment which was challenged by Dr Zaid Mahmood. Briefing the meeting, Dr Kamran Abid said a call letter and relevant documents were dispatched to Dr Athar's office which later returned them with no comments. The Syndicate finally decided to form a three-member committee to probe Dr Athar's appointment.