Office-Bearers of the Academic Staff Association (ASA) of International Islamic University, led by Prof Dr. Tariq Javed and Dr. Faiz ur Raheem, President and General Secretary ASA respectively, called on Prof. Dr. Samina Malik, Rector IIUI on Friday here at the Faisal Masjid Campus. The Rector was informed that the teaching community expected that appointments on higher positions should always be according to the Statutes of IIUI. Prof Tariq informed that rules require appointment on the position of Deans to be chosen from among the 3 senior most available faculty members. Similar seniority is required to be followed for Chairpersons too. Any step of appointing junior faculty members and ignoring seniority and rules must be discouraged. Such actions may result in distress among the teaching community and creates a non-conducive working environment. The university is already facing several issues of decrease in admissions, and many teachers are dishearted due to delays in holding of selection boards and not getting any promotion after lengthy service. In such a situation violation of rules and appointment of juniors can further detoriate this academic environment. The delegation also demanded that the government of Pakistan announced a 30-35% pay increase in the current budget admitting inflation and difficult economic conditions of the government servants. However, the relief has not reached the IIUI employees so far. ASA demanded immediate release of the announced salary increase to ease the lives of IIUI personnel. The delegation also raised the issue of Welfare Fund. The Rector was informed that this is a voluntary fund which has been created so that the employees can get benefit from it at time of need. However, currently the fund is managed in a way that has created a distrust and the contributors are forced to think of stopping contribution to this fund and establsih an independent fund of their own as there is mismanagement and employees are not getting proper benefit since last year and a half. It is strangethat people voluntarily giving monthly contribution have no representation in decision making about its utilisation. The current committees are consitituted without following the Board of Trustees guidelines. Prof Samina assured that she will take up these issues with the authorities and ensured quick solutions. She further stressed that IIUI statutes are binding rules which cannot be violated or ignored.