Dance video scandal: Bannu varsity VC moves PHC against forced leave

PESHAWAR: The Vice-chancellor of the University of Science and Technology, Bannu, Prof Dr Syed Abid Ali Shah, who was sent on forced leave for 90 days over a dance video scandal moved the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday against the decision.

In the writ petition, he claimed that during his tenure, different groups, including head of political parties had approached him for the appointment of relatives and parties people, however, he refused to go against the merit.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through chief secretary, governor/chancellor of universities, secretary Higher Education Department, director general Federal Investigation Agency, secretary Interior Ministry, Johar Ijaz Ali Shah, son of Safirullah Shah, Ex-Civil Judge-cum-Judicial Magistrate, Prof. Dr Sultan Mehmood, Malik Shah Muhammad Khan, MPA & Ex-Advisor on Transport to chief minister, Pukhtunyar, MPA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr. Afzal Shah Associate professor Department of Chemistry, University of Science & Technology Bannu and Azizullah Khan, Lecturer Department of English, University of Science & Technology Bannu were made parties to the petition.

“Several candidates and political leaders issued threats to me for appointments of their blue-eyed, but I refused [to make] political appointments,” the petitioner claimed in the petition before the high court.

He added that recently, important posts of Registrar, Controller of Examination, Deputy Director Works, Deputy Registrar Treasurer, Director Administration, Director P&D, Additional Director Administration, Additional Director P&D, Deputy Director Administration, Assistant Director P&D, Programmer and Webmaster were advertised.

He said hundreds of candidates applied for the posts including Johar Ijaz Ali Shah, ex-civil judge who had been removed from the service on the basis of his alleged involvement in corruption.

The petitioner revealed in the petition that Johar Ali Shah/respondent No. 4 in the petition, was not eligible for the post of the registrar, but he was continuously issuing threats to the petitioner as well as his family members and wanted his appointment as a registrar.

“When the provisional list came forward, he was shown as ineligible for the post after scrutiny process of consisting of a committee of five members headed by Head of the Administrative Department/Section, he started [sending] threatening messages to the family members of the petitioner and his guard but even then, the petitioner did not succumb to the pressure and finally in connivance with other private respondents, a fake video was circulated on the social media in which petitioner is shown dancing with a lady,” the petitioner VC claimed.

He further alleged that the fake email addresses/Whatsapp/Facebook IDs (collectively called “IDs” are being operated by the private respondents and they are continuously circulating fake news about the petitioner and in some IDs, death threats have also been issued to him.

The petitioner pointed out in the petition that those IDs were made for this specific reason to pressurize the petitioner for their appointments on the important posts mentioned above.

It said that the petitioner has approached the competent forum for registration of the criminal case against the private respondents too.

Similarly, the petitioner stated that Dr Afzal Shah/respondent No. 5 wanted to become the pro-vice-chancellor of the university, but was not eligible for the post. The VC stated that they (respondents) also tried to affect petitioner’s personal as well as family life because of the above-mentioned reasons.

It was stated in the petition that when there was no other way which could influence the petitioner for unlawful favours in the appointment process, they (respondents) circulated a fake video of petitioner in which he was shown dancing with a lady and when it got viral on the social as well as electronic media, an impugned notification was issued on September 20 by the KP governor, sending him on forced leave for a period of 90 days without following the codal formalities, without any lawful authority and based on ulterior motives.

The petitioner stated that in the said impugned notification, the authority has mentioned that he has been sent on forced leave on account of the immoral video clip, which he claimed is not true and it was a simple dance video, which has no relation with petitioner and USTB.

Furthermore, it said that after passing of the impugned notification, another notification was issued on September 20, , by the respondent No. 2, in which Prof. Dr Sultan Mehmood, Dean Faculty of Science & IT was appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor against the law.

The petitioner prayed before the court to declare the governor KP notifications about his forced leave and appointment of Pro-VC as illegal, without jurisdiction and lawful authority as these were issued due to ulterior motive and against the principle of natural justice, besides being against the law of the land and the same may be set aside.