LAHORE: Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association and Punjab University Academic Staff Association have condemned Higher Education Commission of Pakistan Chairman Dr Tariq Banuri and his team for launching policies that are discouraging research culture in Pakistani universities. In this regard, an online meeting of representatives of both associations was held on Sunday. FAPUASA Punjab President Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, PUASA Secretary Javed Sami and other office-bearers participated in the meeting. Addressing the meeting, Prof Dr Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, Javed Sami and others termed the HEC’s new policy of research journals, to be implemented from June 2020, needless and disheartening for academics and researchers as the policy seriously undermined the education and research endeavors in the country.
They said that the incumbent chairman of HEC and his team were deliberately trying to shut down local research journals and, under a specific agenda, and are planning to further cease the already dilapidated research work in the country, which will not be allowed by the FAPUASA Punjab and PUASA. They said that as a result of this new anti-research policy, Pakistani teachers and research scholars would be forced to publish only in international research journals, instead of local research journals, for which they will not only be required to pay huge amounts in foreign currency but also have to wait several years for a publication. The statement said that this anti-researchand anti-national policy would result in the closure of local research journals that have been publishing for yearsand worked extremely hard to achieve different categories recognized by HEC; however, from June 2020 onwards only research articles published in international journals, indexed in Scopus and JCR, will be recognized for promotion and others purposes. They said that throughout the world, especially in our neighboring countries, opportunities are created for their universities and research scholars by standardizing domestic research and local journals, leading to significant achievements in research and teaching at the national level.
They demanded that this anti-education notification should be instantly withdrawn, and HEC should immediately notify minutes of meetings of subcommittees of local journals held in January- February 2020. Otherwise, theFAPUASA along with the editors association of local journals, researchers and civil society will strongly protest against the Chairman, Director General (R&D) and other responsible officers of HEC for their anti-education policies.
