Interviews for the post of the vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi, the country’s largest university, were completed on Friday, with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah interviewing the three leading candidates.
The candidates were Dr Waseem Qazi, former vice-chancellor of Iqra University and current vice-chancellor of Karachi Metropolitan University; Dr Moazzam Ali Khan, vice-chancellor of Government College University Hyderabad and former registrar of Karachi University; and Dr Shafiqur Rehman, former vice-chancellor of the University of Balochistan and current registrar of Quaid-e-Azam University.
The search committee had awarded 86 marks to Dr Qazi, 74 to Dr Khan and 71 to Dr Rehman. The Karachi University vice-chancellor’s post has been vacant since July 28, following the decision not to extend Dr Khalid Iraqi’s second term, leaving the institution under an interim arrangement.
In an unusual arrangement, the charge was given to NED University Vice-Chancellor Dr Tufail Jokhio instead of one of Karachi University’s deans. Some of the decisions taken during his brief tenure have caused concern among university employees and in the city, according to sources. University teachers and students are awaiting the appointment of a regular vice-chancellor amid growing unease over the prolonged vacancy.
