Senate body vows accountability over vacant Pakistan chairs.

ISLAMABAD -- Senate Standing Committee on Education head Irfan Siddique has vowed to take action against negligent officials, as at least 14 Pakistan chairs at universities across the globe remain vacant despite the passage of several years.

According to Senator Siddique who chaired the Senate body meeting on Tuesday, there was a need for an in-depth probe into the issue so that the officials responsible for this 'apathetic attitude' may be proceeded against.

'This is criminal negligence; I am very upset as we missed a golden opportunity to promote our soft image across the globe. Those appointed on these chairs act as education ambassadors to promote the country's narrative and academic linkages,' he said in a comment to Dawn.

'I heard that in some universities Urdu chairs were converted into Hindi chairs after Pakistan left these slots vacant for years. I am collecting information in this regard and if it turns out to be true, then strict action will be taken against the officials concerned for their negligence,' he said.

Lawmaker says Islamabad missed out on opportunity to promote soft image across globe

According to the senator, the last academic chair fell vacant in 2015 and after all these years 'our concerned bodies are still unmoved'. 'This is something alarming to me,' the senator told Dawn.

During the course of the meeting, the senate panel was informed that a total of 14 academic chairs have been vacant since 2008. Out of the 14, only six chairs were advertised due to budgetary constraints some years ago.

The selection process was completed in 2021 wherein a panel of three scholars was selected for Cambridge University.

The committee was told that the process was terminated by the university and the ministry was directed to re-advertise the position.

According to sources, the UK-based university did not agree to the names which were selected by the education ministry against the agreed rules.

The committee was informed that chairs for Urdu and Pakistan Studies were vacant in China, Egypt, Germany, the US, the UK, Turkiye, Hong Kong, Iran, Jordan, Nepal and Kazakhstan.

The committee expressed concerns regarding the issue and said that Pakistan lost a 'golden opportunity to dissociate itself from terrorism and crime' and enter the folds of international academia.

Deliberating over the matter, Chairman Senator Siddiqui directed the ministry to submit a...