ISLAMABAD: Dr Qibla Ayaz, an ad hoc member of the Shariat Appellate Bench of the Supreme Court, has drawn the attention of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi to the dire state of affairs at the National Fer­til­i­ser Corporation Inst­­i­­tute of Engineering and Technology (NFC IET) in Multan and the Inter­n­ational Islamic Uni­v­e­rsity Islamabad (IIUI), warning that both institutions were on the verge of collapse.

In a two-page letter, Dr Ayaz cited the Supreme Court’s recent judgement on public sector universities, which addressed governance failures and academic decline.

Dr Ayaz, who previously served on IIUI’s board of trustees and is now a member of its board of governors, expressed grave concerns over the university’s governance.

He criticised the failure of the previous administration to convene mandatory meetings of the boards of governors and trustees, as highlighted in the Supreme Court’s judgement.

IIUI, NFC Multan on brink of collapse, SC Shariat Appellate Bench member Qibla Ayaz warns

The rector of IIUI was, therefore, suspended, and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman was given the acting charge with the intention that he might improve the system and run the affairs of IIUI in accordance with its Ordinance and Statutes. “However, to our utter disappointment, he has been running the entire system,” Dr Ayaz regretted.

Though the rector convened the meeting of the board of governors on Dec 6 and held another session on Dec 10, in both these sessions, his attitude was allegedly dictatorial and disrespectful not only to the members but also to the Supreme Court’s judgement.

One of the most serious issues pointed out by the Supreme Court in its judgement was that the previous rector had not issued the minutes of the last meeting of the board of trustees, held in December 2023.

“We reminded the HEC chairman to issue the same, but he has still not done so,” the letter said.

Another directive given by the Supreme Court through its judgement was that the board of governors should prepare the criteria for the appointment of the president of the university in a very rigorous and transparent manner, but the rector “did not give us the draft criteria in these two sessions and only showed a few slides on multimedia”, Dr Ayaz said.

The minutes of these two sessions of board of governors have not yet been recorded and a third session is supposed to be held on Dec 17.

Moreover, the criteria for the president of the university have not yet been prepared by board of governors, yet he has scheduled the meeting of board of governors on Dec 23, and that too in Riyadh.

The purpose is to appoint the president of the university in sheer violation of the Supreme Court’s judgement, the letter said.

The board of trustees agenda must be shared with members 15 days in advance, but this has not been done, Dr Ayaz wrote.

He questioned the acting rector’s urgency and disregard for legal procedures, particularly the Supreme Court’s directive that the president’s appointment must follow advertising and approval of the criteria.

Dr Ayaz requested CJP Afridi to requisition the minutes of the last board of trustees meeting and a compliance report on the Supreme Court’s judgement. He also urged the CJP to consider postponing the board of trustees meeting until these documents are shared.

The chief justice of the Federal Shariat Court has already regretted attending this meeting, Dr Ayaz said.

“Timely intervention of CJP may prove decisive in saving this great seat of learning from total destruction,” the letter stated.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024