20000202

Assistant professor suspended for misuse of funds

RECORDER REPORT

Lahore: The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab University Lt. Gen. Arshad Mahmood (Retd) has suspended with immediate effect Amin Athar, Assistant Professor, Centre for Advanced Molecular Biology, on account of misappropriation of funds.

The university administration also levelled allegations against the assistant professor that included misbehaviour with the staff members and disclosure of departmental information to the irrelevant quarters. An inquiry has already been initiated against him.

The vice-chancellor has already suspended Prof. Aftab Mahmood of the Geology Department and Project Director Sh. Mohammad Ali on the same charge.

The vice-chancellor has also ordered investigation against the officials of the Punjab University Transport Department, who reportedly refused to provide buses to the students of Philosophy Department for their recreational and study tour.

The Punjab University Academic Staff Association, on contact, expressed its concern over the vice-chancellor's action and termed it an attempt to defame the teaching staff without substantiation of charges.

Inside sources at the Punjab University told Business Recorder that the suspension of Amin Athar was a revengeful and mala fide action on the part of the administration.

Athar Amin was punished because of his active efforts to highlight the corruption of Riazud Din, Director, Centre for Advanced Molecular Biology, against whom an inquiry was instituted by the Anti-Corruption Department.

A case regarding misappropriation of Rs. 11.8 million was filed with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) which was referred to the Anti-Corruption Department for preliminary investigations.

According to these investigations, the allegation of misappropriation was substantiated against Riaz-ud-Din, sources added.