QUETTA: The Balochistan cabinet has removed the services of Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University vice chancellor, Prof Dr Sajida Noureen, and sent a summary to the governor for further action.
It merits mentioning that last month, protests erupted at university, the only women’s university in Balochistan, with employees demanding the vice chancellor’s resignation and accusing her and the university administration of making recruitments in the university in violation of merit.
The spokesman for the Balochistan government, Shahid Rind, while briefing the media about the provincial cabinet’s decisions, said that an inquiry report against Prof Sajida Noureen was presented to the cabinet and, in view of that report, the cabinet decided to remove her from her post.
A summary about her removal from the post has been sent to the Balochistan governor for further action, he said and added that Ms Rubina Mushtaq has been appointed as acting head of varsity and the govt to recruit 4,000 teachers. The cabinet also decided to appoint Rubina Mushtaq as the acting vice chancellor of the university, he said.
The cabinet meeting presided over by the Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, decided to hire more teachers on contract basis for making functional all abandoned and non-functional schools in the province. Later, a notification was also issued about removal of Dr Sajida Noreen as Vice Chancellor SBKWU.
“Consequent upon finalisation of the inquiry proceedings under Section 13, and pursuant to the provisions pf Section 15, sub-sections (6) and (7), the government of Balochistan, Colleges, Higher & Technical Education Department, with the prior approval of the Government/Provincial Cabinet in its decision dated 16th August 2024, hereby de-notifies the appointment of Professor Dr Sajida Noreen from the position of Vice Chancellor, sardar Bahadur Khan Women University (SBKWU), Quetta. A penalty of removal from position has been imposed. Accordingly, Dr Sajida Noreen is hereby relieved of her duties and ceased to hold the office of the Vice Chancellor with immediate effect,” reads the notification issued later the same evening.
Late on Friday night, a team of Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Balochistan, led by Director General Mr Abdul Wahid Kakar, raided the university premises and found a huge piles of official documents being removed from VC office of the SBKWU in supervision of Dr Sajida Noreen.
The ACE team confiscated the official documents and took the files into custody all the documents. However, Dr Sajida Noreen was allowed to leave the premises.
