The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has reconstituted a committee to evaluate research journals published by private societies and review applications submitted for accreditation.
According to a notification issued by the HEC Coordination Division on January 27, 2026, the committee has been reconstituted in supersession of the earlier notification dated May 31, 2022. The committee will evaluate research journals of private societies that publish more than three journals and will also examine applications submitted for accreditation.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Loralai Prof Dr Ehsan Ullah Kakar has been appointed as the chair of the committee. Other members include Maj Gen (retd) Prof Dr Muhammad Aslam, founder vice chancellor of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad; academic Prof Dr M. Aslam Baig (SI), secretary general of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and affiliated with the National Centre of Physics; Prof Dr Hafiz Azhar ur Rehman, director of the School of Law at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad; Prof Dr Ghulam Murtaza, professor and former dean at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad; Prof Dr Muhammad Ishfaq Ali, professor and chairman of the Department of Microbiology at the Quaid-i-Azam University; Prof Dr Shazia Bashir, vice chancellor of the Government College Women University, Sialkot; and Prof Dr Muhammad Abid (TI) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at COMSATS University, Wah Campus.
The director or incharge (research journals) of the HEC’s research and development division would serve as the secretary of the committee.
Under the terms of reference, the chair and members would evaluate the assigned applications online through the RGMS portal in accordance with the approved policy criteria. Recommendations based on individual evaluations would be discussed by the committee for recognition or non-recognition of research journals, and the committee’s decision would be considered final.
The notification states that 50 per cent of the members would constitute the quorum. The committee members would receive an honorarium of Rs3,000 per application, while travel and daily allowances for meetings would be borne by the HEC in accordance with the rules.
