KARACHI, Dec 23: The Sindh Madressatul Islam University syndicate has approved appointments of 31 faculty members and 12 staff members of the university.

The SMIU syndicate in its first meeting held on Saturday and chaired by Dr Mohammad Ali Sheikh, vice chancellor of the university, also approved nominations of chairmen/chairpersons for its initially opened departments.

According to the decision, Dr Fouzia Khan was nominated chairperson of the media studies department, Dr Seema Jilani for environmental studies, Dr Mehboobul Hassan for business administration, Dr Safeeullah Soomro for computer science and Dr Anjum Bano Kazmi for education department. Promotions and up-gradation of SMIU employees on higher grades were also approved. This was besides the approval for creation and up-gradation of certain other posts in the university.

The syndicate members expressed satisfaction on implementation of presidential orders issued by Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, on May 18, 2010 with regard to the SMIU and resolved that the remaining presidential orders should be implemented on top priority basis.

It was also resolved that the land on which 62 shops were built on the premises of the SMIU was solely government land and its ownership lay with the government and the Sindh Matricidal Islam University.

The syndicate decided that the legal procedure would be adopted for re-possession of the occupied land.

With reference to the S.M. Science College, it was resolved that since the S.M. Science College housed in three old buildings of the SMI — Hassanally House (built in 1909), Khairpur House (built in 1912) and Sardar House (built in 1919) — therefore, according to the provision of the SMIU act, it was a part of the SMIU. Hence, a request on behalf of the SMIU syndicate would be made to the Sindh government to declare the S.M. Science College as part of the SMIU, opined syndicate members.