IIUI to help NA panel draft legislation on alcohol

Varsity’s Islamic Research Institute will have a key role in the matter

International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) will work for legislation regarding alcohol under the supervision of National Assembly Standing Committee on Education and Professional Training.

This was recommended on the occasion of the visit of the committee to the new campus of IIUI on Wednesday.

Committee Chairman PTI MNA Dr Amirullah Marwat, Federal Minister for Education Balighur Rehman, Secretary of Committee Walayat Khan, IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai, IIUI President Dr Ahmed Yousif al-Dariweesh, QAU Vice Chancellor Shahid Siddiqui, members of the committee and IIUI vice presidents and DGs were present in the meeting.

It was recommended that IIUI, through its Islamic Research Institute (IRI) and its other constituent units would help in drafting legislation and give guidance on issues regarding alcohol.

It was also discussed that already drafted work on the issue of alcohol will be shared with IIUI. Yasinzai, explaining the forte IIUI has in Islamic laws said the varsity had signed MoUs and established linkages with Al-Azhar University of Egypt, Um ul-Qura University and Madeena University of Saudi Arabia and many other institutions.

The committee also recommended budget of  the Prime Minister Fee Reimbursement scheme for less developed areas be increased from Rs2 billion to Rs6 billion.

Marwat lauded IIUI for its services and ongoing projects. He said that research projects must be result oriented at the universities and nepotism and favoritism be avoided in educational institutions.

Baligh told in the meeting that PM’s Fee Reimbursement scheme for less developed areas has increased enrollment of the students in the universities. He added that Rs2 billion rupees annually were being used for this project and provided positive results, upon which, the committee members recommended that the budget of the scheme be increased to 6 billion.

Yasinzai briefed the committee about strengths, achievements, legal frame work, budget and futuristic outlook of the university. He told that IIUI was one of the country’s fastest expanding university with more than 30,000 on campus students. He briefed that around 50 PhD international faculty members and more than 2,000 foreign students were present at the IIUI campuses. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2018.