International Islamic University, Islamabad teacher’s dismissal order set aside

RAWALPINDI, Sept 3: The Lahore High Court (LHC) here on Friday suspended the dismissal order of a professor teaching environmental sciences in the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI).
Justice Sagheer Ahmed Qadri of the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench suspended the August 30 order of the university’s president about termination of Dr Mohammad Irfan Khan till September 7, and directed the university to file written reply till the next hearing.
Making the university’s president and the IIUI board of governors’ chairman respondents, the petitioner told the court he was being victimised after the Supreme Court took suo moto notice of certain appointments in the university allegedly in violation of rules.
The petitioner said he had earlier filed a petition urging the court to stop the university’s administration from taking any adverse action against him after negative remarks were inserted in his annual confidential report (ACR) for 2009.
Though Justice Qadri took up the petition on August 30 asking for the university management’s response, his termination orders were issued on the same day, citing the negative marks in his ACR. Dr Khan said the university’s president was not authorised to terminate him under the IIUI Ordinance 1985 as only the BoG could take such decision.
Referring to a news item, the petitioner said the university administration had held him responsible for the apex court’s suo moto notice about appointments in the university. He said somebody wrote to the apex court that the appointments were not advertised and the candidates were recruited without interviews.
Dr Khan said the reporting officer of his ACR, Dr Muhammad Riaz, a professor of software engineering, had inserted adverse remarks about the period when he was not in the university. The petitioner, who is also convener of National Curriculum Revision Committee of Higher Education Commission on environmental sciences, said under the rules the reporting officer should have asked him to fill a self-assessment performa but the requirement was not met in his case.
Dr Khan, also member of recently constituted national think tank of Planning Commission for environmental laws, said the countersigning authority did not write any remarks on his ACR, showing he did not agree with the reporting officer. The petitioner asked the court to set aside his termination order and direct the university’s administration allow him to continue his work.
(Dawn)