Gomal University inquiry row deepens over job scandal allegations

By Areeb Zaidi

DI Khan – “I am not answerable to you or anyone else. Earlier, I have blocked number of many journalists,” blasted a member of the two-member committee formed by the Higher Education Department (HED) to investigate allegations of sale and purchase of jobs at Gomal University.

Asked about his background in investigating matters related to law and regulations, he said, “Ask it from the KP Higher Education Department (HED). The HED engaged me in that investigation.”

Asked that affected people from that selection board are planning to file a contempt of court petition against him as he intervened in a sub judice matter without court permission, he replied angrily, “They (affected candidates) can do whatever they want.”

Other than legal aspects, Minute Mirror asked him that is it humanly possible for conducting over 1000 interviews to fill about 250 vacancies of very important nature from Grade 17 to Grade 20 in one single selection board that continued for five or six days in a go, he quipped, “Yes. What is difficult in it?”

“I have mentioned each and every thing in my report. The effected people are engaged in propaganda. They are lying. If someone did not qualify for the job, he cannot be selected. There were some discrepancies and I have mentioned those as well in my report,” he said.

He said, “Some of the candidates who did not appear in interview in person were interviewed online, which is normal. Those who have not been selected did not fulfil the criterion. You may refer to the HED for any further queries.”

He said that he has pointed out some discripencies in his report on the selection board.

He was not clear about on or off the record comments.

Legal opinion

Chaudhry Sharafat Ali, senior law expert who has drafted many laws and acts of the parliament, says that prima facie, the HED committee was meant to give a coverup to Gomal University management and was not meant to investigate the allegations of sale and purchase of degrees. He said first and foremost, the number of inquiry members has to be odd. He said second the HED included an IT or computer expert as convenor and a clerk as member of the inquiry into a matter that is related to law and regulations. Unfortunately, neither member of the inquiry has any background in law and regulations, which indicates towards malice aforethought.
Minute Mirror has sent questions to Gomal University Vice Chancellor Zafar Iqbal, his PA and registrar Zahir Shah Marwat and their replies are still awaited.

Open letters series

On the other hand, the victims continue the series of issuing open letters to the controversial vice chancellor of Gomal University, Zafar Iqbal.

The latest in the series is an open letter written by Muhammad Aslam Awan, prominent journalist and globally acknowledged author from DI Khan. Awan has over three decades of experience in journalism, law and research and revered highly for his work in and outside the country. In his letter, he addressed the chief minister of the KP, instead of vice chancellor Zafar Iqbal.

His letter is as follows:

“Open Letter to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: “One Institution, Two Standards of Accountability?”

Honourable Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,

In light of the ongoing accountability process and administrative decisions at Gomal University, important questions are emerging regarding the uniform application of the law and transparent governance.

According to documented records, certain officials and employees of the Examinations Section were suspended or sent on forced leave through immediate administrative actions based merely on assumptions, even before formal inquiries against them had begun. In contrast, Acting Registrar Zahir Shah Marwat continues to hold his administrative position despite multiple departmental and anti-corruption inquiries of various kinds reportedly pending against him before the relevant authorities.

The core issue is not any particular individual, but rather the principle of equal accountability. When some employees are removed from administrative authority during an inquiry, the continued presence in office of an official who is also under investigation raises serious concerns regarding transparency and impartiality. In particular, it is necessary to examine whether the continued access to official resources and administrative powers during an ongoing inquiry may create the perception of influence over the investigative process, relevant records, or subordinate staff.

Therefore, it is respectfully requested that an independent and impartial review be conducted of all administrative measures taken in connection with ongoing departmental and anti-corruption inquiries at Gomal University. This would help ensure that a single standard of accountability is applied equally to all, while upholding the principles of transparency, justice, and institutional credibility.”

This is a developing story and more open letters will be included in it. The victims have also written an open letter to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. This letter carries extensive details. Similarly, a member of the KP assembly is also finalizing a calling attention notice, including minute details about alleged corruption at Gomal University. Once that is finalized, it will also be included in the story.