PU VC protests Canadian professor’s suspension

LAHORE: Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has strongly protested suspension of Professor Anthony Hall, a professor at University of Lethbridge, Canada and one of the most distinguished scholars on international relations. In his protest letter written to President/Vice Chancellor of University of Lethbridge Prof Mike Mahon, Dr Mujahid Kamran said that in a country like Pakistan, which is far behind Canada in term of education, research and scholarship, no teacher, or non-teacher, of any university can be suspended without pay. He said that when someone is suspended, he or she is entitled to draw full pay for the period of suspension.  He said that if Canada was doing better than Pakistan on various scales, then one would expect that suspension without pay puts Canada behind us in terms of due process and in terms of requirements demanded by the principles of justice and fair play. He said that in Pakistani universities, no one was generally suspended unless a fact finding committee had first looked into the matter thoroughly and found prima facie evidence of wrong doing. He said the decision of the University of Lethbridge administration also destroyed the concept of a tenured appointment.***