Over 65 vice chancellors from all over the country on Monday condemned the maltreatment and public humiliation of professors and teachers by National Accountability Bureau (NAB), besides urging the government to ensure autonomy of universities by stopping the external interference.
The Vice Chancellors' Committee meeting was held at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Secretariat on Monday. The meeting was chaired by Dr Masoom Yasinzai, Chairman Vice Chancellors' Committee, and attended by over 65 vice chancellors from all over the country, mostly through videoconference.
The committee expressed serious concerns over the humiliated attitude with professors and teachers by the NAB officials and demanded of the chairman NAB to conduct inquiry against the officials involved.
At the end of the meeting, the meeting adopted the following resolution in the light of public humiliation of Dr Mujahid Kamran and five officers by NAB officials during appearance in a court last week:
"We, the vice chancellors, condemn the maltreatment and public humiliation of respectable professors and teachers. We strongly condemn the media trial of teachers before prosecution or legal procedure.
We appreciate Chief Justice, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, for suo motu notice; however mere apology is not sufficient in the face of humiliation suffered by senior academicians. We call upon chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to conduct inquiry against the officials involved. We propose holding of a meeting between chairman HEC and chairman NAB along with a select group of vice chancellors to evolve procedures needed to be followed in such cases.
We make a commitment to the nation that we will act with integrity to serve youth of the nation and will work to strengthen our internal systems so that all endeavors are transparent and beyond question.
We support the HEC and stand by it in its endeavors to enhance quality, access and relevance. The universities face multiple problems due to external interference. We urge the government to ensure university autonomy by stopping the external interference."