Karachi University teachers have strongly rejected the Sindh government’s plan to separate the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), calling the proposal unfair and prepared without proper consultation.
According to university officials, teachers and ICCBS employees condemned the draft bill, which aims to detach the research centre from Karachi University and grant it full autonomous status under provincial legislation.
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The Karachi University Teachers’ Association said the government did not take the university’s statutory bodies into confidence. They stressed that such a major decision requires approval from the Senate, Syndicate, and Academic Council.
The Teachers’ Association announced an emergency general body meeting to discuss legal options, warning that the proposed ICCBS separation controversy could weaken the university’s academic structure and long-term research development.
ICCBS employees also displayed protest banners on campus, declaring that handing over the institution to industrial groups or separating it from the university would not be acceptable under any circumstances.
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Employees argued that ICCBS attracts world-renowned scientists and researchers each year, and removing an internationally recognised centre built on Karachi University land would harm the university’s reputation and academic strength.
They vowed that they would not allow the research institute to be weakened or “sold,” adding that ICCBS has a history of major contributions to Pakistan’s scientific research and higher education.
Earlier to this, the government of Sindh has prepared the bill and intends to present it in the upcoming session of the provincial assembly for review and formal approval.
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The bill states that ICCBS, once separated, will gain full authority to issue certificates and operate independently as an autonomous scientific institution under provincial regulations.
Experts note that Karachi University previously saw a similar separation in 1994, when IBA Karachi was detached during the tenure of Abdullah Shah, father of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
However, university officials said there is no other example in Sindh of a major research centre being removed from a public university, raising questions about the long-term implications of such a move.
