University of Karachi. Photo: File
KARACHI:
The proposal to separate the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) from the University of Karachi has been put on hold after the Sindh Chief Minister ordered postponement of a key meeting of the Charter Inspection and Evaluation Committee (CIEC), officials said on Thursday.
The CIEC meeting, scheduled for Friday to discuss the legal plan to separate the ICCBS, was postponed on the instructions of the Chief Minister’s House, temporarily suspending the process. The draft was earlier presented to the Sindh Cabinet, which referred it to the committee for consideration.
Despite this pause, donors associated with ICCBS continue to push for the institute to be separated from the university.
Meanwhile, the ICCBS action committee held a press conference outside the institute, demanding a ban on the re-admission of retired professor Dr Iqbal Chaudhry to Karachi University. Committee representatives claimed his 21-year tenure as ICCBS director had “caused significant damage” to the institution and accused him of fostering an autocratic environment.
The committee also opposed attempts to hand over the ICCBS, through what it described as a controversial bill, to individuals including Nadeem Punjvani and Aziz Jamal. They demanded that the director’s term be limited to a three-year term, as is the case for other KU departments, to avoid a long-term concentration of power.
Addressing the press conference, Safir Muhammad, member of the Action Committee, said that the SHC had decided that the statutes of the ICCBS should be approved by the KU Senate. He added that 5-6 cases involving ICCBS donors were currently pending in court.
