ISLAMABAD – Ignoring the court order, the administration of International Islamic University (IIUI) has reinstated a professor, who was terminated on account of unsatisfactory performance during the probation period. A reliable source in IIUI said Department of Environment Sciences Chairman Dr Muhammad Irfan had been terminated on August 30, 2010 by the approval of then president of IIUI Dr Anwar Hussain Siddiqui.
Later, Irfan filed a petition with Lahore High Court against the move, which was dismissed while described as mala fide and without any strong reason. However, the varsity administration set aside the court’s decision and past record of Dr Irfan and restored him to his previous position after the completion of tenure of IIUI President Dr Anwar Siddiqui, a source said.
It is pertinent to note here that Justice Sagheer Ahmed Qadri of LHC dismissed Dr Irfan’s petition and upheld his termination, about which the Public Relation Department of IIUI issued a press release on December 27. The statement said, “LHC dismissed writ petition of Dr Irfan, a terminated professor of Environmental Department of IIUI. The service of the professor who was on probation has been dispensed with on account of negligence and lack of professional performance.”
“It is the quite disappointing that no action is being initiated by the government against the academic corruption,” said a professor of IIUI, on the condition of not to be named. It may be recalled that in the past too, Irfan was terminated from Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in 2005, and barred from entering into the premises of university.
The termination letter and entry banning letter are available with this scribe. Against the decision of AIOU, he had filed a petition in the Federal Services Tribunal but the decision came against him.
Reinstatement is valid: Giving his version over the issue, Dr Irfan told Pakistan Today said that he was terminated illegally by Anwar Siddiqui.
“Anwar terminated me because I had exposed his corruption. As for as the LHC decision is concerned, the learned court was misled by the varsity administration,” he said.
He said the Board of Governor (BOG) of the university on March 18 also rectified his termination so there was no question of the contempt of court. Rector IIUI, Prof Fateh Muhammad Malik said, “Being the president of IIUI’s Board of Governors, I reinstated Dr Irfan as he was terminated illegally,” he said.
