Rift develops among PPP's ranks over HEC top slot

ISLAMABAD:- A tug of war is in full swing within the ruling Pakistan People’s Party for a lucrative slot of Chairman Higher Education Commission  recently vacated by Dr Atta-ur-Rehman.
 According to sources, the Cabinet Division has short listed three out of nine aspirants for the HEC chair. All three either directly belong to the ruling party or having clear allegiance to the PPP, the sources added.
The sources told The Nation that the Cabinet Division has already forwarded the summary to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gailani proposing three names including Dr. Javaid R. Laghari, Dr. Asim Hussain and Shirin R. Tahir Kheli. Although all three short listed candidates are having competitive credentials, the sources tipped Dr. Asim as the most likely to be appointed as Chairman HEC.
At the same time the sources also hinted that the situation could be changed altogether as per the wills and wishes of the ruling party leadership. The sources refered to the practice in the past when the proposed names were dropped at the eleventh hour and suprisingly someone else was appointed. The sources quoted the instance of Shaheen Khan’s recent appointment as Chairperson  whose name were not in the wishlist  like the appointment of FBISE chairperson.
Dr. Asim Hussain is a Chancellor of Ziauddin University Karachi, a private sector varsity. Officials at the HEC believe that Dr. Asim is the suitable person for the job as he has the experience of running a private university and he can negotiate with the government to release the slashed grant in a better way.