All is not well at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University (SMBBMU), Larkana, as it is being run and managed on an ad hoc basis.
According to collected details, SMBBMU issued a notification in 2015 through then Registrar Prof Dr Sikandar Ali Mughal, under which 20 percent quota for jobs in SMBBMU and its constituent colleges/institute was reserved for sons/daughters of SMBBMU employees on vacant posts, but it is being denied to them.
One such example came out when daughter of Prof. Dr. Ghulam Shabir Shaikh, Dr. Shazia Khatoon, was denied a job on an employee’s reserved seat quota. She has also made a complaint in this regard to the Federal Ombudsman which is pending decision. She cleared/qualified written test for the post of physiotherapist (BPS-17) on staff quota basis but after interview held on 10th August 2019 she was denied the job.
Another example which has surfaced on social media that Assistant Professor of Institute of Pharmacy, SMBBMU, Dr Irshad Hussain, has mentioned in the social media about the injustices with him by SMBBMU, Larkana, about keeping his promotion/selection delayed. There have been promotions/selections in all the colleges / institutes of the University but unfortunately institute of pharmacy is being ignored deliberately. Dr Hussain has applied twice for the post of Associate Professor vs Advertisement in Feb 2019 and then in Oct 2019 by obtaining no objection certificate from the University but selection board of the pharmacy institute has been halted therefore Dr Hussain has been aggrieved for this delay.
Moreover, there are around 140 students of the department of pharmacy and as per rules in the teacher-student ratio of 1:10 there needed 14 to 15 teachers to teach around 140 students of the Pharmacy institute while only 04 to 05 regular teachers on the spot are insufficient to teach the subjects of three classes of pharmacy institute. Furthermore PhD allowance of Dr Irshad Hussain has also been delayed although his PhD was notified on 31 Dec 2018. Seniority list is also not being issued to Dr Irshad Hussain although provincial Ombudsman has issued three notices for seniority list update. As per civil servant rules, the university is bound to update seniority list on January every year but since 2015 original seniority list is being delayed for ulterior motives. It must be mentioned here that Dr Irshad Hussain is first PhD of the university as well as founder incharge of the department and wanted to play his role in research and innovation at the SMBBMU but he is not being facilitated due to interference of junior teachers who allegedly have massive powerful political influence on the university.
On the other hand, posts of registrar, directors of finance and admissions are still vacant and have not yet been filled due to which improper work is being carried out through local arrangement, reliable sources claimed. Since last three years SMBBMU could not find a suitable registrar which is astonishing, sources alleged. According to Universities & Boards Amendment Act 2018, powers for appointment of registrar and controller were shifted to the Vice Chancellors (VCs) of the universities whereas appointment of finance director powers were kept by the Sindh Chief Minister, sources added. In 2019, Secretary, Universities and Boards, directed VCs to appoint proper registrars within two months and accordingly after advertisement two candidates were shortlisted and interviewed which include Dr. Shabir Larik and Dr. Nasir Jamal Pathan but they were not appointed on the pretext of near to retirement.
Dr. Larik filed a petition in the Sindh High Court again this decision. Fahad Sultan Shaikh, was appointed a director finance, SMBBMU, by Sindh CM through selection board but he resigned in November 2019 after one month of his appointment as he refused to sign cheques which he considered were illegal.
If this state of affairs continued then basic job of research will be badly affected and only vested interests will be benefited which will ruin the fundamental system of education and research, people of Larkana said. They demanded immediate end of favoritism and influence so that SMBBMU could be able to work smoothly purely on professional lines.
