Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC), officially assumed the additional responsibility for International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) on Monday.

When he first arrived at the university, staff and faculty gave him a warm welcome.

The Supreme Court ordered Dr. Mukhtar to serve as the acting Rector IIUI until a regular incumbent could be found. He will step down as the head of the HEC in July of next year.

The Supreme Court recently ruled that Dr. Mohammad Sarwar's appointment as IIUI's acting president was unlawful and terminated Rector Dr. Samina Malik.

Several IIUI contract staff were also let go. Last Monday, the education ministry directed that IIUI Vice President Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed be designated as acting president.

When Saudi national Dr. Hathal Homoud Alotaibi's four-year tenure expired in July of this year, the position of president of IIUI became vacant.

The new appointment will be made in compliance with university norms and regulations, as determined by the board of trustees in 2020.

However, the new regulations have yet to be accepted by the university's board of governors (BoG), and Dr. Mukhtar's primary responsibility would be to approve the pending rules for the nomination of the new president.

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HEC recently notified the Supreme Court in a report that the university receives an annual grant of Rs2.1 billion from the federal government, as well as Rs600 million from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, despite the fact that the university's total liability exceeds Rs14 billion.

One of the IIUI's primary revenue sources is student fees. According to university sources, lobbying for the positions of president and rector has already begun. They predicted that a foreigner, most likely from Saudi Arabia, would be appointed president, with a Pakistani educationist serving as rector. The IIUI has been dealing with administrative and governance challenges for the past decade.

In recent years, numerous faculty members who violated rules and regulations were appointed to prominent positions. The university has experienced an administrative crisis and student protests over many problems.

Dr. Mukhtar's major objective should be to resolve faculty and student difficulties. "The warm reception at the university today, including the showering of flower petals on Dr Mukhtar, demonstrated that the faculty is pleased with his temporary appointment," stated a faculty member.