ISLAMABAD: According to the rules, the head of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has to be appointed within 90 days of the completion of the tenure of the previous chief. However, even after eight months, a new permanent head of the commission has yet not been appointed.

The founding chief of HEC, Dr Attaur Rahman, believes that the government should immediately appoint a new chief having international eminence. However a PhD degree is not required for the post, Dawn has learnt.

HEC is the only regulatory body of the higher education institutions in the country, and it has been operating without a permanent chairman since August 26, 2013.

Syed Imtiaz Hussain Gilani, the vice-chancellor of the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, was given the acting charge of the post that has been vacant since the first four-year term of Dr Javaid Laghari, the former chairman of HEC, ended.

An official of the education ministry, requesting not to be named, said the search committee headed by Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, conducted interviews of 19 candidates on February 10 and 11, and sent three names of possible candidates to the prime minister.

“However, the prime minister rejected the names and reconstituted the search committee, but Ahsan Iqbal refused to chair it. Finally, Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif was nominated as the head of the committee,” he said.

The new search committee had announced to hold the interviews on March 18 and 19, but the interviews were cancelled because the committee members were busy elsewhere, he said, adding that no new dates were announced for the interviews.

The short-listed candidates, all of whom are prominent academics from Pakistan, have expressed their concerns over the delay.

One of the candidates, requesting anonymity, said he wanted to take the matter to the Supreme Court; however, that might jeopardise his prospects of success in the interviews.

Dr Attaur Rahman, while talking to Dawn, said according to the HEC Act, international eminence is necessary the commission’s chief.

“The HEC Act was made with my consultation, and I did not put the condition of PhD in it, because I wanted to ensure a person of international eminence could be appointed. It can be a judge or a politician, like Sartaj Aziz,” he said.

“International eminence can be judged by analysing how many persons have been following the person at an international level, through the internet or other channels,” he said.

While replying to a question, Dr Rahman said a PhD was not necessary for the chairmanship. Priority should be given to international eminence, he added.