ISLAMABAD: The management of International Islamic University (IIUI) notified a committee to probe three major issues, including a malicious social media campaign against Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, only to withdraw it after a few hours.

The IIUI management on Thursday (Dec 28) issued a notification forming an eight-member committee headed by Prof Dr Abdul Rashid to probe these issues. The committee was tasked to conduct an inquiry against former vice president Dr N.B. Jumani and a contractual employee Al Hassan on the order of the Board of Trustees, which met on December 11, 2023.

The panel would have probed a campaign against the CJP and his office through social media pages allegedly run by or patronised by a temporary assistant director. The committee was also asked to probe an issue of a derogatory speech delivered by an outsider on the IIUI premises against the CJP in November. “ Why did the university let it happen? Why no action was taken against those responsible?” read the notification. The committee, formed on the direction of the IIUI president, was directed to probe the abovementioned issues by January 5.

Only a few hours after the notification, it was withdrawn, as per a new notification issued with the approval of the IIUI president. When contacted, IIUI spokesperson Nasir Farid said that a committee had already been formed on December 12 following the BoT meeting to probe the issues on the direction of BoT, therefore, he said that the new committee was de-notified.

Spokesperson says committee formed on Dec 12 can also investigate the issue

The spokesperson said that the already formed committee could look into these issues as well.

He said that a committee had been notified on December 12 under the chairmanship of Prof Abdul Rehman to prepare the reply/report of the observations of the CJP during the meeting of BoT.

The meeting discussed the role of the then VP of administration and finance Professor Dr Nabi Bux Jumani, who had been asked by the CJP to furnish details about the IIUI, but he failed to do so until President Alvi’s intervention. The meeting had directed the IIUI to remove the said VP and an assistant director from their position immediately.

IIUI arranges salaries of employees

Meanwhile, a press release issued by IIUI on Sunday said that President Dr Hathal Homoud Alotaibi managed to arrange more assistance from Saudi Arabia, as salaries of the IIUI employees for December were managed through the Saudi Financial Support Fund.

The press release said that the total budgetary support under the ‘Support for Payment of Salary’ from Saudi Arabia to IIUI is Rs818 million. “This, including budget support for FY 2022-23 and payment of arrears and allowances. Also, payment of salary for December 2023 is Rs300 million,” read the press release.

It said ‘support for University Development Projects’ accounts for Rs86 million. “Moreover, a grand mosque…has already been approved by the Saudi government (at an estimated cost of about $32 million) on the new campus of the university,” it said.

It is relevant to note here, that the IIUI has been facing a financial crunch and despite this, the university management was all set to make new recruitments, which was stopped after the intervention of the Higher Education Commission last month.

Published in Dawn, january 1st, 2024