LAHORE: (Wednesday, July 22, 2026): Punjab University administration has released a Green Paper highlighting its performance over the past two years, ahead of a White Paper reportedly being prepared by groups facing corruption inquiries. Meanwhile, three of the five groups that were part of the Joint Action Committee announced their separation from the committee and boycotted its press conference. The spokesperson said that the remaining groups in the Joint Action Committee are facing inquiries involving billions of rupees as well as disciplinary proceedings under the law. He alleged that these groups are attempting to exert pressure on the university administration to avoid accountability. Sharing details of the Green Paper, the spokesperson for PU said that under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali, the university’s financial management and good governance initiatives have yielded positive results. As a consequence, the university’s total revenue has increased from Rs7.15 billion to Rs12.56 billion. He stated that despite the discontinuation of private degree programmes and a substantial decline in the number of private candidates, the university achieved a historic increase in revenue. He added that the number of private candidates decreased from 192,000 to 35,000 last year. The spokesperson further said that, for the first time, PU recorded a significant reduction in its budget deficit, which declined from Rs 2.86 billion to Rs 1.67 billion. He noted that prudent financial management, austerity measures, and transparency policies helped reduce the deficit, while improved financial discipline significantly reduced reliance on reserve funds.
According to the spokesperson, Rs 4.19 billion was spent from the university’s reserves in 2024, whereas only Rs 2.57 billion was utilized from reserves during 2025–26. He added that the current administration also reinvested Rs 2.30 billion, and that, due to increased expenditures and inflation, the reserve funds would have amounted to approximately Rs 8 billion compared to their 2024 value. He said that effective financial controls resulted in savings worth billions of rupees for the university. Measures to curb electricity theft and the implementation of solar energy projects saved 5 million units of electricity, generating a financial benefit of Rs 286 million. He said that the introduction of the One Account Policy ensured complete transparency in university expenditures for the first time. He added that, for the first time in decades, the auction of university canteens and shops that had been operating on outdated rental agreements increased the university’s annual revenue by Rs 160 million. He further stated that extensive administrative reforms were implemented under PU’s Good Governance Model. Under the One Man–One Post Policy, authority was distributed more equitably by ending the practice of a single individual holding multiple administrative positions. He added that the university also implemented, without discrimination and for the first time, a rotation policy for heads of departments, ensuring equal leadership opportunities for all faculty members. He said that illegal occupation of university hostels had been completely eliminated for the first time in the institution’s history. He said that encroachments spanning nearly 50 years on university land worth billions of rupees had been removed.