Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood should resign himself as if the court passes a judgment on merit then he would have to surrender the salaries that he had gotten after retirement

The Supreme Court on Thursday recommended that Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (AAUR) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood should resign himself as if the court passes a judgment on merit then he would have to surrender the salaries that he had gotten after retirement. The court observed that there were three SC judgments, which held that instead of giving extension to the officials after their retirement the junior officers should be promoted. A two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Tariq Parvez, hearing the case of fourth extension to AAUR VC said if the court would pass verdict on merit then he would have to surrender his salaries that he obtained after the extensions. Punjab Additional Advocate General on behalf of the Punjab chief secretary submitted a report on extensions to the VC. The court directed the VC to decide himself within 10 days what he had to do, otherwise the court will decide the case on merit and he would have to return back the salaries and other perks he had withdrawn illegally. The court had taken suo motu notice on the matter on an application filed by Ahsan Munir expressing shock over giving extension to an individual who is 70-year-old by relaxing the relevant rules instead of providing opportunity to a young person in his place. Khan is serving his fourth extension, which had been given to him in violation of the university’s charter. He was appointed VC of the university in 2001 during the government of Pervez Musharraf being a close relative of the then Petroleum Minister Naurez Shakoor. The caretaker government of Mohammadmian Soomro granted him last extension that would come to an end in 2012.