A major change is being prepared in the rules of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), a world-renowned research institute that is administratively separated from the University of Karachi and is run by private individuals. Under this, it has been proposed to remove renowned scientist Dr Atta-ur-Rehman from the post of patron-in-chief and form a three-member search committee to appoint a new director. The proposed committee will include two private individuals, Nadira Panjwani and Aziz Jamal, while the third member will be a prominent Sindh government figure.
According to official sources, the proposed search committee — comprising Nadir Punjwani, Aziz Jamal, and the chief minister of Sindh — will select the new director without public advertisement or a formal selection process. Notably, none of the committee members holds a PhD despite the fact that the ICCBS has historically been led by world-renowned scientists.
The ICCBS, spread over 70 acres, houses 12 state-of-the-art research centres, 25 buildings, five hostels, 40 residential units, and scientific equipment worth over Rs100 billion. The centre receives 99 percent of its funding from the federal government and international donor agencies, whereas Pakistani donors contribute less than one percent.
Two members of the proposed search committee Nadir Punjwani and Aziz Jamal are among those who financially sponsored the construction of 4 ICCBS buildings, raising concerns over conflicts of interest in the director-selection process.
The 12 research centres under the ICCBS include the UNESCO Centre for Molecular Biology, Panjwani Centre, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, Latif Ebrahim Jamal Nanotechnology Centre, Third World Centre for Science and Technology, Jamil-ur-Rahman Centre for Genomics Research, and the Bioequivalence Centre, which operates a 110-bed facility.
The ICCBS was founded in 1967 by Dr Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, who served as its director until 1990. He was succeeded by Dr Atta-ur-Rahman (1990–2008) and later Dr Iqbal Choudhary (2009–2022). Dr Choudhary’s continuation in office after retirement resulted in litigation, and he was removed on court orders.
The new legislative proposal was reportedly prepared on the recommendation of the Sindh Health Department. However, it was not presented to the University of Karachi’s Senate or Syndicate, nor were ICCBS faculty, staff, or students consulted. The Sindh Higher Education Commission and Charter Committee were also bypassed, despite their mandatory role in approving new degree-awarding institutions.
Under the proposed law, the chief minister of Sindh will replace Dr Atta-ur-Rahman as patron-in-chief. Dr Rahman is widely credited for securing major international grants — including $23 million from Japan, $8 million from the US, £1 million from the UK, and 4.8 million Deutsche Marks from Germany, while six Nobel Laureates have praised the ICCBS as one of his most outstanding achievements.
