
By Syed Tauqeer Zaidi
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A meeting of the Gomal University All Pensioners Federation in Dera Ismail Khan has voiced strong support for the reform agenda of the university’s vice-chancellor, Professor Dr Zafar Iqbal, praising what participants described as tangible improvements in both academic and administrative affairs.
The meeting, chaired by Shafqat Qayyum Alizai, the federation’s chairman, and Waheed Jigar, its general secretary, heard speakers say that the vice-chancellor’s sustained efforts, coupled with what they termed transparent and honest policies, had helped reverse years of institutional decline. They noted that restoring order and credibility in a university affected by prolonged mismanagement and financial irregularities was a difficult task, but one that deserved recognition.
Participants also criticized what they described as a negative propaganda campaign being run by a particular lobby against the vice-chancellor. They said such actions risked distracting from the broader goal of stabilizing the institution and rebuilding its academic standing.
The speakers urged that Dr Zafar Iqbal be allowed to continue his work without obstruction, arguing that sustained reforms were essential if Gomal University was to regain its former reputation in education and research and move towards long-term progress and stability.

