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.
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