SHC suspends ICCBS director's appointment

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has suspended the notification of the appointment of a retired professor at the University of Karachi International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) and reinstated Professor Dr Farzana Shaheen as the head of the institution.

A hearing was held on the claim of Professor Dr Farzana Shaheen against the appointment of Prof (Retd) Dr Muhammad Iqbal Chaudhry before the single bench consisting of Justice Mahmood A Khan.

Dr Shaheen's lawyer Muhammad Ali Lakhani Advocate took a stand that the appointment of 65-year-old retired professor Dr Iqbal Chaudhry as the director of ICCBS is illegal. Dr Chaudhry does not qualify for this post and he had already taken a four-year extension after retiring in 2019.

Advocate Lakhani said Dr Chaudhry has also been involved in allegations of financial irregularities during his tenure. It is requested from the High Court that the notification of the appointment of Dr. Iqbal Chaudhry issued on May 13 should be declared illegal and null and void, and the illegal removal of the petitioner Senior Professor Dr. Farzana Shaheen from the directorship should be reversed and reinstated.

After hearing the position, the court suspended the notification of Dr Iqbal and reinstated Prof Shaheen. The High Court issued notice to the parties till the next hearing and sought their reply within two weeks

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2024.