Zeenat exposes a clear case of nepotism at the University of Kashmir
KU Registrar’s Son Gifted Job on ‘Fake’ Documents
Zeenat Zeeshan Fazil (Kashmir Images)
Srinagar: Even as ‘people of power and influence’ bending and breaking rules to facilitate their kin is a norm in Kashmir, yet this trade of undue favours in academic institutions like universities can’t be shrugged off as ‘normal’.
So the news from the Kashmir University is that Syed Suhaib Hassan, son of the varsity Registrar Syed Fayaz Ahmad, is the latest beneficiary of the allegedly undue benefits granted to the relatives of the university officials.
Hassan, who has done BE in Electronics and Computers from International Islamic University Malaysia, has been appointed as System Engineer in the Directorate of Information Technology and Support System, varsity sources said.
And what is interesting is that the Registrar’s son was in October last year appointed in the Department of Electronics and Instrumentation as a lecturer on
contractual basis.
However, as per the certificate of experience presented by him to the University authorities for appointment as System Engineer, he was during the same time also in Malaysia, working for a private Information Technology company.
Now how is this possible – if he was here working as lecturer in the Kashmir University and drawing salary for the same, how could he, at the same time, be working in Malaysia? Either he is lying or his certificate is – but in any case it is a fraud with sufficient complicity of Kashmir University in it!
According to the certificate, Hassan was working with Privasia Sendirian Berhad in Petaling Jaya city of Malaysia from January 2009 to December 2009.
The experience period, a prerequisite as per the job notification issued by the University in June this year, also clashes with the date of Hassan’s graduation.
The qualification certificate reads that Hassan has graduated from the Malaysian University in March 2009.
The Registrar’s son was preferred over another candidate, who was working as a System Engineer in the concerned department of the university on contractual basis for more than two years.
Mussavir Munawar Khan, who has done MCA from Aligarh Muslim University and has five years of experience in the relevant field, including two years in the University itself, has taken the matter to the court.
The Registrar of the University, when contacted, refused to comment on the discrepancies in his son’s certificates.
“Please talk to the Public Relations Officer of the University,” Prof. Syed Fayaz Ahmad said.
The varsity PRO Showkat Shafi, when contacted said: “The case is sub-judice and therefore, I won’t comment. But one thing I want to clear is that the person in question has produced genuine documents.”
The PRO also confirmed that the candidate was working in Department of Electronics and Instrumentation as a lecturer on contractual basis.
This is not the first time that eyebrows have been raised over the frequency of relatives of the University officials getting selected ahead of seemingly better qualified candidates.
A similar case was reported in 2007 when the son of then Vice-chancellor Abdul Wahid Qureshi, who now heads the Central University of Kashmir, was appointed as Assistant Engineer in the varsity.
Sons of two then heads of the departments in the University, who are now big-time newspaper columnists lecturing people on ethics and morality, were also appointed as Assistant Controller and Media Consultant respectively during the past three years.