National Skills University gets another acting VC three years into permanent vacancy
Dr Muhammad Shehryar Manzoor succeeds Dr Saud Altaf on an interim basis, more than two years after federal officials told the Supreme Court they expected the selection process to conclude soon.
ISLAMABAD: Dr Muhammad Shehryar Manzoor has been appointed acting vice chancellor of National Skills University Islamabad, according to appointment details available to Islamabad Tribune.
The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training issued the notification following presidential approval, the details indicate. The appointment gives the H-8/1 university another interim head more than three years after its founding vice chancellor’s regular term ended.
Dr Manzoor, a professor of mechanical engineering technology at the university, succeeds Dr Saud Altaf. The university announced in July that Dr Altaf had assumed office as vice chancellor but the permanent post remained vacant.
The latest appointment details identify Dr Manzoor’s charge as temporary and give no timetable for a permanent appointment.
Recruitment Began Before the Founding VC’s Term Ended
The education ministry was already seeking a successor in 2023. An official advertisement set May 5, 2023, as the application deadline for a four-year term. It sought candidates with a doctorate and senior leadership experience and asked applicants to explain how they would develop the university’s programmes and align them with labour-market needs. Dr Muhammad Mukhtar’s regular term ended in October that year. The university says its Senate allowed him to continue pending a successor, and he held acting charge until June 30, 2026.
The vacancy came before the Supreme Court in 2024 during a case on unfilled leadership posts at public universities. The federal education secretary and an additional attorney general told the court that the vice chancellor’s post and other vacancies at National Skills University had been advertised, that selection was underway and that they expected appointments soon.
A subsequent ministry advertisement set September 30, 2025, as the deadline and required previous applicants to apply afresh. It set out shortlisting criteria covering academic qualifications, research and leadership experience. Dawn reported in October 2026 that the post had been advertised twice since Dr Mukhtar’s regular term ended and that neither round had resulted in a permanent appointment. An education ministry official told the Islamabad tribune that efforts to fill the vacancy were continuing. The public records reviewed give no reason why the recruitment rounds failed to produce an appointment.
Who Appoints the Permanent Vice Chancellor
Under the National Skills University Islamabad Act, 2018, the president serves as chancellor and appoints the regular vice chancellor on the recommendation of a search committee. The federal minister in charge nominates three to five committee members, and the chancellor constitutes the committee. A regular appointment carries a four-year term. The Act separately gives the university Senate responsibility for arranging the performance of the vice chancellor’s duties during a vacancy.
The office oversees the university’s academic and administrative work. The Act also requires the vice chancellor to report annually to the Senate on academics, research, administration and finances. For a university that offers both degree programmes and short technical courses, the ministry’s recruitment criteria put particular emphasis on linking training to industry and employment needs.
Who Is Dr Shehryar Manzoor?
Dr Manzoor holds a doctorate from École Polytechnique in France, where he studied fluid–structure interaction. University records list him as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology and as director of admissions. He has also served on the university’s Finance and Planning Committee and Discipline Committee.
The vacancy is part of a wider leadership gap in the capital’s public universities. In its October report, Dawn also identified Quaid-i-Azam University as being without a regular vice chancellor and International Islamic University Islamabad as being without a regular rector. At National Skills University, the latest interim appointment leaves two questions open: where the permanent selection process now stands and when the chancellor will receive a recommendation.
