By Imtiaz Hussain
SUKKUR: The Sindh High Court issued a bailable arrest warrant for the Chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan in a case challenging the appointment of the Vice Chancellor of Aror University, ordering him to appear before the court on 16 December.
A two-member constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court Sukkur Bench, comprising Justice Zulfiqar Ali Sangi and Justice Abdul Hamid Bhurgri, heard the petition filed by Hasnain Ahmed Siddiqui, who questioned the appointment of Zahid Hussain Khand as Vice Chancellor of Aror University of Art, Architecture, Design and Heritage in Sukkur.
During the hearing, Vice Chancellor Zahid Hussain Khand, the petitioner, and other interested parties appeared in court, while the HEC Chairman was absent. Noting his absence, the court issued the bailable arrest warrant and instructed him to present himself on 16 December.
In his petition, Siddiqui argued that Khand’s academic credentials were questionable. Khand holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, a Master’s in Computer Science, and an online Doctorate in Education, but does not possess a PhD in a relevant engineering field.
The petitioner highlighted that his online Doctorate was not certified by HEC, rendering him ineligible for the position of Vice Chancellor. According to HEC and international PhD criteria, Siddiqui contended, Khand would not be qualified to hold a professorship anywhere in the world, including Pakistan.
He further claimed that Khand’s appointment as a professor had been obtained through fraudulent means, constituting a serious violation of law, and warned that such illegal and unethical actions could carry legal consequences, including jail time. The petitioner described Khand’s appointment as Vice Chancellor as politically motivated, illegal, and unconstitutional, and urged the court to take action to rectify the matter.
