Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has approved the appointment of vice chancellors to the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, and Shaikh Ayaz University, Shikarpur, for a four-year tenure, following which official notifications have been issued.
According to the notifications, after conducting interviews at the Chief Minister’s House, Altaf Sial was approved as vice chancellor of the Sindh Agriculture University, while Dr Naveed Sheikh was selected for Shaikh Ayaz University, Shikarpur. However, the appointments have drawn attention as neither of the selected candidates was ranked first by the respective search committees.
In the past, the chief minister had generally appointed vice chancellors strictly on the recommendations of the search committees, often without holding interviews, and usually selected the top-ranked candidate. This time, however, Shah personally interviewed the shortlisted candidates.
Sources said that for Shaikh Ayaz University, the search committee had recommended Dr Mir Muhammad Shah, Dr Niaz Ahmed Bhutto and Dr Naveed Ahmed Sheikh. Similarly, for the Sindh Agriculture University, the names of Dr Ismail Kumbhar, Dr Jan Muhammad Marri and Altaf Sial had been forwarded. It was further revealed that one candidate for the Tandojam University failed to obtain security clearance, leaving only two candidates eligible for interviews.
