Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad (QAU) convened a crucial meeting chaired by Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmad Akhtar, the Vice Chancellor, to address pressing concerns regarding the recent Federal Ombudsman's verdict on the QAU Alumni Association's election conduct. The meeting, attended by representatives from all contesting panels, aimed to tackle issues including the constitution of the association, extension of voter registration, audit of previous association activities, and unauthorized use of the university's logo. The Federal Ombudsman's verdict recommended a thorough review of the association's constitution and an extension of the voters' registration process, along with the postponement of the election by one month. The Vice Chancellor questioned the need for involving the Federal Ombudsman, considering previous deliberations on election matters in joint meetings involving university administration and all panels.  Saeed Ahmad Ch from the QAU Stars Panel clarified why he approached the Ombudsman, stating that he hadn't been invited to the meeting where the final election date was set.

He also mentioned sending nine separate requests to the Steering Committee regarding the alumni association's constitution, voter registration process, and the MOU for outsourcing previous alumni affairs to a group of former Quaidians. . He also emphasized the necessity of auditing the accounts of the alumni association for transparency. Responding to the issues raised, the Vice Chancellor announced significant measures. Firstly, the administration will thoroughly examine the concerns related to the constitution of the QAU Alumni Association, with a possibility of rewriting the existing document. Secondly, the elections are postponed until a comprehensive document is prepared and approved by the statutory bodies of QAU. Furthermore, the administration pledged to conduct a financial audit assessment of the accounts of the previous alumni association for its entire duration.

In response to requests from the QAU Forever and QAU Stars Panels, voter registration will be reopened, with elections to proceed only if a minimum of 15% of graduates register with the official QAU Alumni Association database. The Vice Chancellor cautioned against the unlawful use of the university's logo for data collection purposes by contesting panels, emphasizing that only the university administration is authorized to collect graduate data for elections. Any unauthorized collection of data may result in legal action. Representatives from all contesting panels, including Wajahat Latif of the Founder Panel, Aziz A. Nishtar of the United Panel, Shahid Minhas of the QAU Forever Panel, and Saeed Ahmad of the QAU Stars Panel, were present at the meeting, signaling a unified effort to address the issues at hand. Lastly, regarding the conduct and scheduling of elections, the administration will seek approval from the Syndicate of the university, the central governing body of QAU. Representatives from all contesting panels affirmed their attendance and cooperation in the decision-making process during the meeting.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan