LAHORE - The Punjab government has taken notice of Kinnaird College Principal decision, terminating five senior college teachers services with single stroke of pen a couple of days ago, sources in the education department said on Friday. The sources said a letter has been written in this regard to the college principal asking her not to terminate the said teachers and the case has been referred to the board of governors (BOG) of the college. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also called a meeting over the said issue that was attended by the provincial minister education, secretary higher education and principal of Kinnaird College. Talking to The Nation, a senior officer of the higher education department said though Kinnaird College was given status of autonomous institution the department had written a letter to the college principal stopping her not to terminate the said staff. He said the principal was asked in the letter to refer the case of the said teachers to the colleges board of governor (BOG). He said the terminated teachers were government servants and serving the college even after its autonomous position. The officer said though the college was an autonomous institution its principal was appointed by the higher education department on the recommendation of the colleges BOG. It is pertinent to add that Principal of Kinnaird College Dr Bernadette Dean fired five senior teachers of the college after they had allegedly differed with the principal who had termed former prime minister of India, Indra Gandhi, an ideal personality. Besides, the effected teachers had also opposed the appointment of new Registrar of the college Naima Khursheed and termed the same a violation of merit. The teachers who were terminate include two departmental heads, Sheeba Syed, Head of Urdu Department, and Saira Malik, Head of Political Science Department besides senior teachers Asima Jamil and Zareena Rizvi. Talking to a private TV channel, the principal said termination of the teachers and appointment of new teachers was a regular process and the college administration was thankful to the teachers who served college for so long. Now there was time to give chance to new blood to serve the college, she further said. Few days back the college administration had also published advertisement in newspapers seeking applications from the suitable candidates, she concluded.