By: Alif Khan Sherpaw
CHARSADDA: Employees of Bacha Khan University staged a protest in Charsadda, demanding their reinstatement and a judicial probe into alleged corruption at the university.
The protest involved 139 dismissed employees who claimed they were let go due to a budget shortage, even though the former vice-chancellor subsequently hired 117 new staff members, most of whom were said to be relatives and friends.
The dismissed employees asserted that those recruited between 2012 and 2015 were unfairly targeted while ineligible individuals were favoured during the recruitment process. They expressed concerns about a budget of only Rs 60 million, claiming that crores of rupees are being wasted on luxuries. They also highlighted corruption scandals amounting to Rs 2 billion, particularly related to the construction of new buildings and the illegal sale of trees.
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The employees demanded accountability for those responsible for these scandals and called for appropriate actions to be taken. During the protest, Farooq Khan Sheikho, the former district general secretary of the Awami National Party, warned that if the dismissed employees were not reinstated, no future vice-chancellor would be allowed to hold office. He emphasised that if the situation escalated, the Chief Minister would be held accountable for the consequences.
