IIUI Top Guns Lock Horns Over Faculty Hiring, Firing

Dawn.com

By Khawar Ghumman
Monday, 30 Aug, 2010

ISLAMABAD, Aug 29: Top officials of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) have locked horns over hiring and firing of the faculty.

According to sources, Rector Prof Fateh Mohammad Malik last week barred IIUI President Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui from issuing any termination letter without the approval of university’s chairman of the board of governors (BoG). Dr Malik is also chairman of the BoG.

The sources said Dr Malik while expressing serious reservations over frequent terminations of the faculty members, which according to him had brought a bad name to the university, asked the president to take the BoG on board in all hiring and firing cases.

It is worth mentioning here that the Supreme Court a couple of months ago had taken suo motu notice of irregular appointments in the International Islamic University.

When contacted, Vice-President International Islamic University (administration & finance) Parveen Qadir Agha contended that the apex court had accepted university’s explanation; hence, the case stood disposed of.

In a written response to queries of this correspondent, she added: “The Supreme Court (human rights cell) did not send a written order as per its rules. As such, the above facts can be verified by obtaining the decision from the court.”

According to the Supreme Court officials, the case was still in process. Similarly, the apex court’s official website, which provides online status of cases, showed no response when the case number “HRC 3056-G/2010” was filled in.

Mohammad Yousuf, on whose application the court took the suo motu notice, had questioned the required experience of three professors who were working as deans of the faculties of Management, Basic and Applied Sciences and Engineering and Technology.

According to Ms Agha, university professor Dr Irfan Khan, the head of the environmental sciences department, was behind the suo motu action against the university.

She said: “Dr Khan had been removed from the chairmanship of the department and the university will also take further action again him.”

When contacted, Dr Khan said: “I expressed resentment on appointment of Dr Riaz Ahmad as Professor (software engineering/dean) of the faculty of basic and applied sciences, because first of all his appointment on contract was not transparent.

It was through silent mode while he was working at the Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, until mid-March 2009 and at the same time he was appointed as dean in January, 2009.

For his appointment, there was no advertisement, no selection board and even no one asked about his credentials and qualifications for professorship.” Therefore, Dr Khan alleged, the university administration had gone against me, and was looking for excuses to throw me out of the job.

“Initially, I was asked to resign. Then in July 2010, the administration conveyed me the adverse remarks in my ACR of 2009 written by Dr Riaz”. He said Dr Riaz commented on his performance during the time when he had even not joined the IIUI.

Dr Riaz is one of the three IIUI professors whose experience was under question in the court.

Dr Khan is the founder chairman of the department of environmental science at the IIUI.

He is the incumbent convener of the National Curriculum Revision Committee in Environmental Science and member of the recently constituted National Think Tank of Environmental Law Reformulation of Planning Commission of Pakistan. Dr Khan, diplomat of Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, holds a PhD degree from London University in environmental science.

According to sources, the IIUI was being governed like a kingdom. For example, the sources said, an assistant professor had been appointed as director of the Institute of Islamic Economics in the presence of four renowned professors like Prof Asad Zaaman, Prof Syed Mohammad Tahir, Prof Hamza Ishaq Bhatti and Prof Zamurad Pervaiz Janjua.

A top official of the university requesting not to be named said Ms Agha was a former bureaucrat but running the university which was completely a different job.

Dr Muhammad Umer Chapra to Deliver Lectures at IIUI

First see this news item from: http://www.umt.edu.pk/khuram_Murad/islamabad.html

Lecture Topic: The Islamic Vision of Development

Date and Time: Tuesday, 30th March 2010, 11:00 am – 1:45 pm
Guest Speaker: Dr Muhammad Umer Chapra, Research Advisor, Islamic Research and Training Institute, Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah

Venue: International Islamic University Auditorium Faisal Masjid Campus, Islamabad

Dr Muhammad Umer Chapra

Dr Muhammad Umer Chapra is Research Advisor at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Jeddah. Prior to this position, he worked as Senior Economic Advisor at the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), Riyadh, where he served for nearly 35 years. Earlier, he taught at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Kentucky, as Assistant and Associate Professor of Economics respectively, and was associated with the Pakistan Development Review as Senior Economist. Dr Chapra also worked as Associate Editor at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, and as Reader (Associate Professor) at the Central Institute of Islamic Research, Pakistan. A prolific writer and an author of 16 books and monographs and more than 100 papers and book reviews, Dr Chapra is acclaimed for his most outstanding origial contribution of four books: Muslim Civilization: The Causes of Decline and the Need for Reform (2008),

The Future of Economics: An Islamic Perspective (2000), Islam and the Economic Challenge (1992), and Towards a Just Monetary System (1985). Given the originality and impact of his contributions, his works have been translated into a number of languages, including Arabic, Bangla, French, Indonesian, Japanese, Malay, Persian, Polish, Spanish, Turkish and Urdu. Dr Chapra has lectured widely at a number of universities and professional academic and research institutions in different countries around the world, including the Harvard Law School, USA; Loughborough University, UK; the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK; the London School of Economics, UK; Universidad Autonoma, Madrid; the University of Malaga, Spain; the House Commons, London; the Islamic University of Rotterdam, the Netherlands and the Asia Pacific and Kyoto Universities in Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan. He has participated in a number of meetings of international and regional organizations like the IMF, IBRD, OPEC, IDB, OIC, GCC. He has also served for three years (2002-2005) as member of the Technical Committee of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) established in 2002 to prepare standards for the Islamic financial industry.
Dr Chapra is on the editorial board of a number of professional journals and has acted as referee for a number of others, including the Economic Journal of the Royal Economic Society, UK; the Journal of Socio-Economics, USA; the Journal of Islamic Studies (Oxford), UK; and the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, USA.

Dr Chapra is recipient of numeorus awards including the Islamic Development Bank Award for Islamic Economics and the King Faisal International Award for Islamic Studies. He was also awarded the Institute of Overseas Pakistanis (IOP) Gold Medal in August 1995 by the President of Pakistan for service to Islam and Islamic economics at the First IOP Convention in Islamabad.

For Details Contact

Waqar Ahmed 0300-4357040 Sabihuddin Khan 0333-3233846
A G Ghaffari 0300-8402650 Noor Aslam 0305-4440605,
University of Management and Technology, Lahore
C-II, Johar Town, Lahore-54770, Pakistan Tel: 92-42 35212801-10
Fax: 92-42 35212819 Website: www.umt.edu.pk
---------------------

Now see the news item released by IIUI about the same event. There is no mention of who is organizing these lectures and what is the role of University of Management and Technology in this regard. Our media team, if any, is thoroughly unprofessional!

Dr. Umer Chapra to Speak at IIUI

Islamabad. Dr. Umar Chapra, Research Advisor, Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI), Islamic Development Bank(IDB), Jeddah shall be delivering two lectures at the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) on 29th and 30th March 2010 at its Faisal Mosque Campus. His First Lecture shall be on “State of Islamic Economics 2009” and Second lecture shall be on “The Islamic Vision of Development”. Both events are open for all Interested persons.

Syed Muzammil Hussain
Deputy Director,
Public Relations Section
International Islamic University,
Islamabad (IIUI)
Phone No. 051-9019249
Fax No. 051-9257909

What a come back! What a come back!

For many at IIUI, it would be a shocking news. But equally for many others, it would be a delightful one. This time, its Muhammad Al-Ghazali’s turn. Our own Dr Muhammad al-Ghazali, Professor, Islamic Research Institute, has been appointed as the judge of Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The older brother, Dr Ghazi, former President, IIUI has also staged his comeback. What a comeback Ghazi sahib!! He is appointed as the judge of Federal Shariat Court of Pakistan. Some interesting events happening here: Dr Ghazi has earlier served as Judge in the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court and was part of the hearing of landmark decision on Riba. This time, he will sit as the judge of court whose decisions are reviewed by the upper court where the younger brother sits as judge. This is a unique event in the judicial history of Pakistan. Two brothers appointed judges on the same day, the younger in the upper court and the older in the lower court. Well-deserved placement, of course.

Ghazi sahib! Now when you are back in Islamabad with the grace of God, please take some interest in the affairs of IIUI. Don’t let it go to dogs, as they say in English. May Allah bring many more such days in your life.

Daily Aaj Kal

Saray Jahan Ka Dard Hamaray Jiger Main Hai

Bravo IIUI Academic Staff Association! After resolving all internal problems, our students and teachers are raising voice for Dr. Tahir Malik…!! An "intelligent" move to please His Excellence Dr. Fateh Muhammad Malik.

Who is the most well dressed person?

IIUI to Construct Grand Mosque at its New Campus

The International Islamic University, Islamabad has decided to build a central grand Masjid at its New Campus Sector H-10. A Committee to supervise the project was constituted in a special meeting held here with IIU President Dr. Anwar Hussain Siddiqui in the chair. Mr. Munawar Iqbal Ahmad Chairman Dept. of English has been appointed as Convener of the project while other members of the committee included Prof. Dr. Sahibzada Sajid-ur-Rehman Director Dawah Academy, Dr. Rehmat Elahi Associate Prof. Faculty of Basic & Applied Sciences, Dr. Muhammad Bashir Asst. Prof. Faculty of Arabic, Dr. Habib-ur-Rehman Asim Asst. Prof. Faculty of Arabic, Dr. Abdullah Rizk Asst. Prof. Faculty of Shariah & Law, Dr. Muhammad Saleem Shah Asst. Prof. Faculty of Usul-ud-Din, Dr. Ubaid Ullah Khan Asst. Prof. Faculty of Shariah & Law, Dr. Suleman Al-Hawamda Asst. Prof. Faculty of Usul-ud-Din, Mr. Ibrar Anwar Additional Students Advisor.

Dr. Siddiqui also defined the functions and role of the committee for fund raising campaign, the money collected will be deposited in the Masjid account # 18440007185501 being maintained with Habib Bank Limited,IIUI Branch Islamabad. It was also decided that the ground breaking ceremony for the mosque shall be held in February, 2010.