Are you still curious regarding the IBA BOG election? Well we have you covered, read all the latest details regarding the candidates and the elections now. These elections take place after every 3 years. The last election that took place in 2018 where Mr. Shahid Shafiq, MBA(1974), was elected unopposed to the post of Alumni Representative on the IBA Board of Governors.
Mr. Shafiq had already completed more than 3 tenures as the Alumni representative on the board. Additionally, he also completed a tenure as a student representative during his graduate studies at the IBA.
Powers of the IBA Board
In order to understand the IBA BOG elections, we need to understand the Board of Governors (BOG) and their powers under the IBA Act of 1994. As referred in the act, the IBA BOG consists of 12 members represented below and an Alumni Representative.
Essentially under this act, the powers of this board have been highlighted which consist of exercising control over the whole Institute, appointing teachers, and staff members, approving the budget for the Institute, appointing annual auditors, and lastly, to suspend, punish or remove employees from service. These are some of the few powers that the board resides on.
Alumni Take on BOG Elections:
In recent years, IBA has witnessed with several controversies starting with the mishandling of Gibrail’s complaint which led to a series of controversies afterward. These controversies were a highlight fo not only local media but international media as well. After witnessing such egregious news, several new candidates filed for nomination this year after observing the tarnishing state of the University.
The six candidates that are contesting the elections are Fahim Abbasi, Danish Qazi, Krishan Vaswani, Muhammad Sohail, Ashar Saeed, and Imran Kazmi. Most of them have already shared their manifestos on their LinkedIn profiles. Moreover, you can also watch their recent debate on youtube among the candidates to choose the right candidate for your vote.
This election has gotten coverage like never before and has been the center of conversation for many Alumni in their group chats. But many have also criticized the administration and candidates for spamming their inboxes regarding the elections.
Former BOG Shahid Shafiq’s Experience
Recently, the IBA Today team sat down with Mr. Shahid Shafiq to discuss his tenure as BOG and an Alumni representative. During his tenure, he led the finance committee for the BOG. His greatest achievement during his tenure was to take the IBA reserves from tens of millions to 6 billion.
However, Mr Shafiq always felt that his power as governor was limited, and he wasn’t able to take hard decisions that were needed to take the Institute ahead. Since the Alumni representative only represents 1 board seat.
Furthermore, he also criticized the current administration policies and how it is centered around one person. During his tenure, he took an active stand in countering several controversies especially when it came to reinstating Gibrail.
Lastly, he wished all the candidates good luck with the election. But also admonished the fact that the manifestos of the following candidates cannot be achieved unless they get the board to unanimously agree on it.
Conclusion
IBA BOG Elections are one of the oldest traditions of this Institute that allows alumni to play and active role in the policy-making of the Institute. This academic year had been a bumpy road in the history of this Institute but we can hope this election will bring the change that is required.
Only time will tell whether these candidates will make a difference or just be another puppet on the board. We wish all candidates good luck in the upcoming election. The results are reported to be announced on the 6th of July 2022.
You can cast your vote by clicking on the link.
