PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has appointed seven academics as vice chancellors of major public sector universities in the province, with all appointments made for an initial two-year term followed by another two years subject to satisfactory performance.
The Higher Education, Archives and Libraries Department notified the appointments on October 4, 2026, under Section 12(1) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012, as amended in 2024. The notifications were issued in the capacity of the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as Chancellor of the respective universities.
Prof Dr Iqbal Munir has been appointed vice chancellor of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University, Sheringal, Dir Upper. Before his appointment, he was serving as Head of the Division of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering at the University of Agriculture, Peshawar. His appointment is for four years, comprising an initial tenure of two years with immediate effect, followed by another two years subject to satisfactory performance under Section 12(6B) of the provincial universities law.
Prof Dr Husnul Amin has been appointed vice chancellor of the University of Swat, Charbagh, Swat. He was serving as Director of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies at Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad. The notification gives him a four-year tenure, with the first two years effective immediately and the remaining two years dependent on satisfactory performance.
Prof Dr Muhammad Idrees has been appointed vice chancellor of the University of Malakand, Chakdara. He was serving as Professor at the National Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology at the University of the Punjab, Lahore. His appointment also carries an initial two-year tenure followed by another two years subject to satisfactory performance.
Prof Dr Sajid Rashid Ahmad has been appointed vice chancellor of the University of Haripur. He was serving as Principal of the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Punjab, Lahore. His four-year appointment has the same two-plus-two-year structure under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act.
The department has also appointed Prof Dr Muhammad Nasimullah Qureshi as vice chancellor of the University of Swabi, Anbar, Swabi. He was serving in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Swabi. His appointment is also for four years, beginning with an initial two-year period and followed by another two years subject to satisfactory performance.
For the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, the government has appointed Dr Imran Khan as vice chancellor. The notification identifies him as Chief Scientific Officer at Photogenix Inc., Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States. He has also been given a four-year tenure with an initial two years and a further two years subject to satisfactory performance.
Prof Dr Abdul Jalil Khan has been appointed vice chancellor of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. He was serving as Director of the Institute of Family Medicine at Khyber Medical University. His appointment is also for four years, with the first two years effective immediately and a further two years subject to satisfactory performance.
The notification regarding the appointment of Dr Abdul Jalil Khan also includes a reference to a Peshawar High Court judgment dated August 13, 2026, concerning Writ Petition No. 9066/P/2026 and connected proceedings. The notification does not provide further details about the judgment, but includes it among the documents copied to the Registrar of the Peshawar High Court.
According to all notifications, the appointments have immediate effect. The four-year tenure is not automatic for the full period as the second two-year portion is linked to satisfactory performance under Section 12(6B) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act, 2012, as amended in 2024.
The notifications also state that the salary package of the newly appointed vice chancellors will be governed by the Higher Education Department notification No. SO(U II)HE/3 1/2022/121 55 dated May 27, 2022.
Copies of the appointment notifications have been sent to the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, Executive Director of the Higher Education Commission, Chief Secretary office, concerned vice chancellors and university registrars, and other senior officials of the Higher Education Department.
The department has also directed its Director HEIMS to upload the notifications on the official website of the Higher Education Department. The notifications were issued by the Secretary to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Higher Education Department through the concerned section officer.
The new appointments bring academics and senior researchers from institutions including the University of Agriculture Peshawar, Quaid e Azam University, University of the Punjab, University of Swabi, Cornell University and Khyber Medical University into the leadership of seven public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The seven universities affected by the notifications are Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University Sheringal, University of Swat, University of Malakand, University of Haripur, University of Swabi, University of Agriculture Peshawar and Khyber Medical University Peshawar.
Read in Urdu: خیبر پختونخوا میں 7 وائس چانسلرز کی تقرری
