QAU deadlock leaves 1,200 degrees pending and faculty unpaid

A prolonged leadership vacuum at Quaid-i-Azam University has begun to inflict visible damage on one of Pakistan’s premier public institutions, with students unable to obtain degrees, faculty waiting for unpaid dues and core administrative processes left in suspension. Two months after the office of the vice-chancellor fell vacant, the university is still without even an acting head, creating a bottleneck that officials say is affecting nearly every major function on campus.

The immediate human cost is now difficult to ignore. More than 1,200 students are reportedly waiting for degrees that cannot be issued without the vice-chancellor’s signature, leaving graduates in limbo at a critical moment in their academic and professional lives. Some are trying to apply abroad, others need formal credentials for employment, but the paperwork remains stalled because the institution lacks the legal authority to process final approvals.

The paralysis extends well beyond degree issuance. University officials say syndicate meetings, selection board sessions and other essential administrative forums are also on hold because no vice-chancellor is available to convene or validate them. That means recruitment, policy approvals, internal governance and financial decision-making are all being slowed or blocked at the same time, deepening the sense of institutional drift.

Faculty members, especially those working on a visiting basis, say the delay has compounded an already serious financial problem. More than 150 visiting teachers are said to have gone unpaid for an extended period, and some believe the absence of a vice-chancellor is now preventing even the release of funds that are available. One of the most pressing frustrations is that routine signatures and follow-up with the federal government cannot move forward while the top office remains empty.

The crisis began after former vice-chancellor Prof Dr Niaz Ahmed Akhtar relinquished charge on February 6 following his appointment as chairman of the Higher Education Commission. Since then, the process for naming either an acting or permanent replacement has moved slowly. According to officials familiar with the matter, the education ministry sent a summary with names for interim charge, while the final authority for an acting appointment lies with the president in his capacity as chancellor.

There are signs that the file has not been abandoned. Two senior deans were reportedly interviewed at the Presidency for the acting role, suggesting that the matter may be nearing a decision. But university insiders remain uneasy, arguing that the unusually long delay in naming an interim head could be a warning that the appointment of a regular vice-chancellor may take even longer, leaving QAU exposed to months of uncertainty.

The leadership gap is especially damaging because the university is also under financial pressure. Officials say the federal government had earmarked a Rs2 billion bailout package for the institution last year, but only Rs500 million has been released so far. Without a functioning vice-chancellor’s office to push the case and complete official processes, the remaining support may be harder to secure, raising the risk of further strain on salaries, academic operations and campus services.

The episode reflects a broader governance challenge in Pakistan’s public higher education sector, where delays in appointments can quickly turn into operational crises. In universities, the vice-chancellor is not merely a ceremonial figure but the administrative and financial pivot around which examinations, payroll, hiring, funding requests and statutory meetings revolve. When that office is vacant, the effects spread rapidly from paperwork to classrooms and careers.

For students and teachers at QAU, the next few days could be decisive. A prompt interim appointment would not solve all of the university’s financial and governance problems, but it would at least restore the signatures, meetings and decisions required to get the institution moving again. If the delay persists, the deadlock is likely to widen, hurting graduates, unsettling faculty and further eroding confidence in one of the capital’s most important universities.