MULTAN, Nov 17: PML-N legislator Chaudhry Abdul Waheed Arain on Saturday disrupted the Bahauddin Zakariya University’s Syndicate meeting by boycotting it and also allegedly influencing the secretary finance representative to leave.

The situation resulted in suspension of meeting because of a lack of quorum, Dawn learnt.

Sources said Mr Arain, who was attending the first meeting of the university’s Syndicate after being nominated as its member by the Punjab Assembly speaker last year, was demanding over two dozen jobs and out-of-merit admissions but the university administration refused to entertain him.

Nursing a grudge, sources said, the MPA threatened the university authorities that he would complain the chief minister about their ‘non-cooperation’.

BZU Vice-Chancellor Dr Khwaja Alqama chaired the meeting which was attended by Justice Muhammad Qasim, Justice Zaffar Yasin (retired), Government College University Faisalabad Vice-Chancellor Dr Zakir Hussain, Farkhanda Mumtaz, Dr Hakomat Ali, Dr Amanullah, Dr Tahir Sultan, Prof Naimatullah (as nominee of the Higher Education Commission) and Murtaza Akhtar Naveed (as nominee of the secretary finance).

Sources said at the start Mr Arain and Tahir Sultan raised objection to Dr Muhammad Ali Shah’s appointment as the registrar of the university. They said Controller of Examination Malik Munir should have been the registrar.

They asked the chair to clarify either Mr Ali was attending meeting as member syndicate or secretary of syndicate (as registrar) and the VC said Dr Ali was attending the meeting as secretary and he (VC) had appointed him registrar while exercising his powers under the University Act.

They were also informed that the case of Mr Munir was in court and he was performing his duty as controller of examination.

The VC overruled the objection and other members corroborated the decision. Both members boycotted the meeting in protest.

The meeting approved 15 items on the agenda following detailed discussion for three hours and was still continuing when finance department’s Murtaza Akhtar Naveed left after receiving a call on his phone.

MPA Arain said he did not demand any job from the university administration. “Many politicians and others ask for jobs and out-of-merit admissions in the university but I am the only public representative who has never sought even a single job and admission,” he said.

He said the appointment of registrar was not done by adopting the required procedure, however, his major reservations were regarding the participation of the representatives of the members of the HEC and the finance department.

“The representatives could be observers and could not enjoy the authority like members and because of that we pointed out a lack of quorum and did not attend the meeting right from its start,” he said.

He said he had requested the VC to postpone the meeting for 15 days as he (Mr Arain) had asked the secretary finance to attend the meeting and he (secretary) assured him of doing so after a fortnight.

Talking to this correspondent on phone, Mr Naveed said he was attending the meeting on behalf of the secretary finance and left on the direction of the secretary. He said he was nominated a representative by his department and later the head of his department asked him to leave.Dr Hakomat Ali said his joining as professor was extended on his request and he was still performing his duties as assistant professor. He said there was no precedence of the boycott of the meeting by a government representative. He said the proceedings of the meeting were suspended after Mr Naveed’s departure led to the quorum issue.

Registrar Dr Muhammad Ali Shah said both representatives were entitled to attend the meeting according to the University Act that states that “officer not below the rank of additional secretary can be the representative of any member.”

He said both departments confirmed that their representatives had authority to attend the meeting. He refused to comment on the demand of Mr Arain for jobs and other privileges.