Aitchison College Principal Michael A Thomson resigned on Monday, citing interference and nepotism as examples of bad governance at the institution.

Shortly after Thomson announced his resignation, Syed Babar Ali, a member of the college’s management committee also tendered his resignation.

The resignations come weeks after Indian media claimed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was asked to cancel a visit to Aitchison College. However, sources said Thomson’s decision was linked to a tiff between him and the Punjab governor.

Thomson has almost confirmed that his thorny relationship with the governor was behind his resignation.

In a letter to the college’s staff, Thomson said that nepotism and politics have no place in the institution’s affairs.

He said he had no option but to resign.

He also told the staff that ‘destructive’ policies have been brought to the college on the whims of a few influential people.

He specifically named the governor’s house’s partisan attitude as the cause of the governance issues in the college.

According to sources, the conflict between the college and the governor began over waiving fines handed to the sons of Federal Minister Ahad Cheema.

‘A new principal was to take over next month’

Meanwhile, sources in the Punjab Governor House have claimed that the government was going to appoint a new principal next month anyway.

The current principal was drawing $15000 per month and enjoying other perks, the sources claimed adding that a board had launched an investigation into his salary and perks.

Thomson had also resigned over political pressure in admissions in 2018 only to withdraw his resignation days later after then-Governor Muhammad Sarwar convinced him to stay.

According to a news report from that time, Thomson had been under pressure after the expulsion of Azlan Khan, son of former MNA Kashmala Tariq.

Earlier this month, at least one Indian TV channel and several social media posts claimed that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had received ‘over 1,000 emails’ from students and parents at the college, where she had been invited for a foundation day event.

Founded in 1886, Aitchison is one of the oldest and most prestigious educational institutes in Pakistan. The sitting governor of Punjab has a say in the affairs of the college as the president of the board of governors.