Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Photo: Archive
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif rejected the summary submitted for the appointment of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman, expressing displeasure over the names proposed in the case, sources said on Thursday.
The summary has been returned to the Federal Ministry of Education, with indications that the position may now be re-advertised.
According to sources, the prime minister’s decision has prolonged uncertainty over the top HEC post, which remains vacant since July 30, 2025, following the end of former president Dr Mukhtar Ahmed’s term.
This development comes as the appointment of a permanent HEC chief has been delayed for an unusually long period, as more than six months have passed since the position fell vacant and the key institution continues to function on an ad hoc basis.
Since July 30, 2025, following the end of the term of former HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, the commission has no permanent head.
On the same day, Secretary Federal Ministry of Education Naeem Mehboob took over the additional charge of acting president of HEC.
Initially, the three-month ad hoc agreement was accompanied by assurances that a permanent appointment would be made quickly, particularly after the prime minister constituted a search committee under the leadership of the federal education minister.
Sources said that after the position was advertised, around 750 candidates applied for the position. Initially an attempt was made to select a candidate from abroad.
However, the incentive package offered did not meet international standards, making it unattractive to foreign academics. As a result, the shortlist was largely drawn up within what sources called the local “vice-chancellor bureaucracy”.
It is pertinent to note that the names sent to the Prime Minister included Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, Vice Chancellor of NED University of Engineering and Technology, Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar, Vice Chancellor of Quaid-e-Azam University and Dr Muhammad Ali, Vice Chancellor of Punjab University.
Earlier, Education Ministry sources said that a “Karachi lobby” was actively lobbying for the appointment of Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi.
Meanwhile, education experts have expressed concern that previous HEC leaders have failed to provide meaningful policy guidance, and stressed that much more work was needed on funding mechanisms and long-term policy frameworks for higher education.
