The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has introduced the Universities Amendment Bill 2024, proposing significant changes to the administration of universities in the province.
Under the proposed legislation, presented in the KP Assembly by Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam, the governor will no longer serve as the chancellor of universities. Instead, the responsibility will shift to the chief minister. The legislation also proposes to assign the authority of appointing vice chancellors to the chief minister.
Key provisions of the bill
- Vice chancellor appointments: The chief minister will appoint VCs from a shortlist of three candidates recommended by the Academic Search Committee.
- Tenure and performance: VCs will serve a four-year term, with a performance review conducted after two years. If the performance score is below 65%, the VC’s term may be terminated.
- Registrar Appointments: The procedure for appointing registrars has also been proposed to be revised, allowing the chancellor to select a registrar from the university’s administrative officers.
Assembly discussions
During the session, chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, Minister Aftab Alam also addressed the recent violence in the Kurram district, blaming the spread of misinformation on social media for fuelling tensions. "We visited Kurram immediately after the clashes," he informed the House.
Alam assured the assembly that operations to disarm parties involved in the conflict were underway, with the peace jirga given full authority by the chief minister to mediate. "An operation will be carried out against weapons," he disclosed.
Opposition PML-N MLA Jalal Khan condemned the political violence at D-Chowk, criticizing "those sitting in the House fleeing from D-Chowk" during the unrest. “Stop playing with the lives of innocent people,” he urged, calling for negotiations instead of conflict. He also held the leadership responsible for the deaths that took place during the protest.
The session also witnessed a quorum challenge by opposition member Nisar Baz, leading to an adjournment until December 3 at 2pm.
