Web Desk: Questions over governance and staffing practices have emerged at the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where a senior project post has remained in place for years after the completion of the project it was originally created to oversee.
The continued retention and later absorption of a project director role at the public-sector degree-awarding institute has triggered debate over administrative procedures, financial implications and compliance with provincial rules, according to officials and documents reviewed.
The institute, established as a development initiative in collaboration with Austria, completed its initial phase several years ago. However, the position of project director has continued for nearly a decade, even after the appointment of a rector to run the institution’s academic and administrative affairs.
According to official records and sources, the project director role was initially introduced on a temporary basis in 2016 and later extended. Although the original contract period ended in early 2019, the position remained active.
In 2021, the provincial Higher Education Department prepared a summary recommending the removal of the project director after noting that the institutional structure had already transitioned to a rector-led system. The proposal was approved at the highest provincial level, including by the chief minister and governor, but authorities never issued an implementation notification, leaving the decision unenforced.
Sources familiar with the matter said the project director position was never formally part of the sanctioned permanent staffing structure of the institute. Despite this, the official concerned, now 68, continued in the role and was later adjusted into the institution’s payroll framework.
The development has raised concerns among critics who argue that the continuation of a project-based post after institutional maturity may reflect procedural gaps and potential financial burden. They also question how a time-bound position was transitioned into a longer-term arrangement without explicit statutory backing.
Documents further indicate that the official retired from the University of Peshawar in 2018 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age but continued engagement with the institute afterward.
Responding to the concerns, Project Director Naseer Khan said the situation has been misinterpreted and insisted that his role remains linked to ongoing project extensions and new development proposals.
He said the institute’s original PC-I remains under review for extension with revised funding structures. He also pointed to new academic initiatives, including proposed schools of medicine, dentistry and allied health sciences, for which proposals have already been submitted to the provincial authorities.
He added that a broader restructuring had taken place when multiple positions funded under a project management unit were transferred to the university payroll after the initial funding period ended. According to him, these posts were later incorporated into approved project documents and continue to function.
On concerns regarding policy compliance, he argued that provincial project rules do not uniformly apply to semi-autonomous institutions established under separate legislative acts. He maintained that such bodies retain administrative flexibility over staffing arrangements approved through their governing structures.
When contacted, Rector Mohammad Mujahid said the explanation provided by the project director reflects the institute’s official position. However, he did not respond in writing to specific questions regarding legal or procedural concerns raised in relation to the appointment and its continuation.
Meanwhile, authorities have not issued further clarification on why the earlier approved summary recommending removal of the project director was never formally executed.
As the institute continues its expansion plans, questions over staffing structures, governance oversight and adherence to administrative procedures remain unresolved.
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