University of Kashmir has become hub of nepotism where top officials violate all the norms to accommodate blue eyed persons. Well placed sources said that in a bid to pave way for the smooth appointment of Professor Musadiq Amin Sahaf as Dean Academic Affairs, the incumbent Vice Chancellor Professor Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi constituted a penal comprising of four Vice Chancellors, viz: Professor Mehrajuddin VC Central University Kashmir, Prof Ashok Aima, VC Central University Jammu, Dr Mushtaq Sidiqui, VC Islamic University of Science and Technology and Prof Sheikh Javaid Ahmed, VC Cluster University. The penal that was chaired by Professor Mehrajuddin VC Central University Kashmir recommended the appointment of Prof Musadiq Amin Sahaf as Dean Academic Affairs and Prof Zaffar Ahmed Reshi as Dean Research. Reliable sources told news agency CNS that VC Kashmir University was keen to appoint Prof Musadiq Amin Sahaf as Dean Academic Affairs and Prof Zaffar Ahmed Reshi as Dean Research and if sources are to be believed he had already conveyed his desire to the panel. Ironically, senior Professors were sidelined to pave way for the appointment of Prof Sahaf and Prof Reshi.Sources added that a few days after the appointment of these two Professors, Assistant Registrar General Administration Kashmir University issued a formal order vide order number F(Apptt.MO-Gen.Admin) KU/17 Dated May 16, 2017 under which the daughter of Prof Mehrajuddin, VC Central University Kashmir (who headed the panel) was appointed as Medical Officer.
The order reads: “The Vice Chancellor has been pleased to authorize the conversion of the post of Placement Officer carrying the Pay Band of Rs 15600-39100 with Grade Pay of Rs 5400 to the post of Medical Officer carrying the Pay Band of Rs 9300-34800 with Grade Pay of Rs 5400.”“Consequent upon the above, sanction is accorded to the temporary appointment of Dr Iqra Mehraj W/o Dr Irfan Yousuf Wani of Kanitar Sadarbal Srinagar as Medical Officer in the Pay Band of Rs 9300-34800 with Grade Pay of Rs 5400 in the Zakura Campus of the University,” the order issued by University of Kashmir reads. One of the senior faculty members of the University told CNS on condition of anonymity that it was a give and take process. Professor Mehrajuddin made recommendations on the behest of VC Kashmir University while the later reciprocated by appointing her daughter as Medical Officer.The story doesn’t end here,” said a Professor adding that the then Registrar Prof Sahaf who invited applications for the post of Dean Academic Affairs and Dean Research turned out as an aspirant for one of the posts at the eleventh hour and ultimately he was appointed as the Dean Academic Affairs. “Who invites the applications can’t be the applicant.
This has happened for the first time in Kashmir University when a person inviting applications for a post turned out to be the top applicant, despite not being the senior most professors of the University.” “The convention was that senior most professors were used to appoint on the coveted posts but this has happened for the first time when blue-eyed persons were accommodated in the garb of panel interactions.”A group of senior Professors while seeking the intervention of Governor NN Vohra, who is also the Chancellor of the Varsity, said that all is not well in the University. “It is a sacred institution and wrongdoers should not be allowed to take the Varsity for a ride,” they said.When CNS contacted the senior most Professor of the University, G.Mustafa Shah said the University mislead the Chancellor by preparing a manipulated seniority list of the Professors. “I am the senior most Professor in the Varsity but the irony is that the then Registrar who now has been appointed as Dean Academic Affairs prepared a fake seniority list wherein he claimed to be the senior most professors as on date,” Shah said added that he has already filed an application under Right to Information Act. “In the application I have requested University of Kashmir to name the Professor who is senior to me. So far, University has not come up with a reply. Whole University knows I am the senior most Professor and even has acted as in-charge Vice Chancellor for a number of times. I am eager to know on what basis fake seniority list of Professors was prepared and what was the need to do so,” he said.Despite repeated attempts, Vice Chancellor Kashmir University could not be contacted. (CNS)