Bureaucrat as VC: Universities amendment bill enacted in Sindh

KARACHI: The Sindh government has enacted the Universities Amendment Bill 2025, paving the way for bureaucrats to be appointed as vice chancellors in varsities of the province, ARY News reported.

Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori had refused to grant his assent to the bill and returned it to the provincial assembly for reconsideration, raising objections to the new law that expanded the eligibility criteria to the serving bureaucrats for appointment as vice chancellor in public-sector universities.

Under Section 3 of Article 116 of the Constitution, if the bill is passed again by the assembly, with or without amendments, it will automatically be enacted within 10 days, even if the governor refuses to grant his assent.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Department has announced the vacancy for the vice chancellor position at NED University, and bureaucrats with a grade of 21 or above are eligible to apply.

Other eligible candidates for the vice chancellor position include deans, registrars, principals, and other academic experts. The Sindh government had previously ignored the objections raised by the Sindh governor regarding the Universities Amendment Bill.

Read More: Sindh governor refuses to sign Karachi Metropolitan University bill

Earlier on February 17, the provincial assembly passed the Sindh Universities Amendment Bill 2025 despite opposition’s protest. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Law, Ziaul Hassan Lanjar tabled the Sindh Universities Amendment Bill 2025 before the house.

The session saw uproar from opposition members, with MQM legislators chanting slogans against the bill. Following the bill’s re-approval in the Sindh Assembly, the objections raised by the Governor of Sindh were rejected.

The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (Fapuasa)-Sindh chapter has strongly condemned the law and vowed to fight against it at every forum.