University of Karachi staff threatens to protest over non-payment of salaries

Karachi: Governor of Sindh Dr Ishratul Ebad has taken strict notice of the non-payment of salaries to the faculty of University of Karachi, and had instructed the management of university to resolve all the conflicts with respect to the said matter.

These instructions came because the teaching staff of the university threatened to boycott the classes for an indefinite period of time and observe a pen-down strike over the non-payment of salaries, as well as protest outside the CM and Governor House. The governor, who is also the chancellor of the University of Karachi (KU) called a special meeting to discuss the issue and improve the financial conditions of the varsity.

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This meeting was headed by the adviser on Higher Education, Syed Wajahat Ali, and it was attended by Executive Director of Higher Education Commission (HEC) Prof Dr Raza Bhatti, Vice Chancellor of Karachi University Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser, and the finance directors of university as well as of Higher Education Commission.

The meeting discussed the causes for the non-payment of salaries. There they were informed that Higher Education commission was not responsible for the delay in salaries of faculty members whereas the vice chancellor of varsity was pressing the finance director since past week to give the payments. The finance director was also instructed to make sure that this should not be repeated again, and present a detailed report to the Sindh governor and the commission over the financial issues of KU.

In the light of present reports, the financial condition should be improved and a one-time grant should be granted to the varsity. Numerous teachers of the varsity have protested over the issue as well as demanded the timely payments of dues to teaching and non-teaching staff plus the transparency in the financial issues of Karachi University.