Federal govt intends to abolish HEC’s autonomous status July 27, 2021 KARACHI: Social activists, academics and human rights defenders have said the federal government intends to systemically abolish the autonomous status of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan by promulgating a presidential ordinance making the commission a subordinate agency of the federal education ministry. The government on March 26 had issued the Higher Education Amendment Ordinance, according to which, the four-year tenure of the commission’s chairman has been reduced to two years. Later, the government issued a notification through which the present HEC chairman was removed from his position. Afterwards, however, the government felt that there is a legal lacuna in both the ordinance and the notification. Therefore, another notification was issued on April 5, and three days later on April 8 a new Higher Education Amendment Ordinance was issued.