PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Department has removed Prof Dr Nasser Ali Khan from the post of Project Director of the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (PAF-IAST), Haripur, with immediate effect.
The action comes days after the department initiated an inquiry into the alleged disappearance of the approved 2021 summary for his removal and other official records.
According to a notification issued by the Higher Education Department on July 10, Prof Dr Nasser Ali Khan has been relieved of his duties as Project Director with immediate effect following the approval of the competent authority.
In a separate notification, the department constituted a three-member fact-finding committee to investigate the inordinate delay in implementing Dr Nasser Ali Khan’s de-notification, the alleged disappearance or deliberate removal of the approved summary from official records, and to fix responsibility on the officers concerned. The committee has been directed to submit its report within two weeks.
The committee comprises the Special Secretary, Higher Education Department, as Convener, the Additional Secretary (Administration) as Member, and the Deputy Secretary (Universities II) as Secretary.
The development follows two investigative reports published in The News. The first report, published on April 30, 2026, revealed that 68-year-old Dr Nasser Ali Khan had continued serving as Project Director for nearly a decade despite completion of the project, the appointment of a permanent Rector, and his retirement in 2018. The report further disclosed that although a summary for his removal had been approved by the chief minister and the chancellor in 2021, it was never implemented. The approved summary was later found to be missing from official records.
A follow-up report subsequently revealed that the Higher Education Department had launched a formal inquiry into the disappearance of records related to Dr Nasser Ali Khan’s removal, his reported reappointment, and his alleged absorption into the institution.
Responding to the earlier reports, Dr Nasser Ali Khan maintained that his position, along with 26 other posts, was part of the project’s PC-1 and was later transferred to the institution’s payroll. He stated that all appointments and administrative actions were taken in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations.
