PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday directed the Islamia College University Peshawar to place before its syndicate for decision the charge against a senior faculty member and former Department of Islamic Theology chairman of trying to bribe an Indian university`s professor for writing a negative report on the research ofone ofhis colleagues.

Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Syed Arshad Ali accepted a petition ofICU Department of Islamic Theology teacher Dr Hifazatullah and asked the university`s administration to place the findings of the relevant inquiry committee in its next meeting to decide the matter without delay.

The petitioner had claimed that a former chairman of his department, Prof Nisar Mohammad, had approached one of the members of a panel evaluating progress on his (Dr Hifazatullah) research and offered him $100 bribe for writing a negative assessment of his work.

Ijaz Sabi, lawyer for the petitioner, said a technical review panel (TRP) was constituted through a notification on Aug 1, 2015, wherein Dr Abdul Hameed Fazili, a professor of Islamic Studies at Aligarh Muslim University, India, was nominated toevaluate progress on the research ofthe petitioner, a DIT assistant professor.

He said Dr Abdul Hameed Fazili latermade a complaint against Prof Nisar on Oct 10, 2015, that he was forcing him to write a negative report on the academic work of petitioner Dr Hifazatullah.

Quoting from a letter of Dr Fazili to the ICU`s vice chancellor, the lawyer said he had stated, `I have been continuously pressured by Professor Nisar to reject the promotion proposal of Dr Hifazatullah on tendentious grounds, an act highly immoral and academically unjustified. I suspect that Prof Nisar has used the same tactics to get a report from some examiner from Afghanistan, a copy of which was sent by him to me to prepare a similar report.

Dr Fazili had stated: `I have often been offered that $100 shall be the reward for my particular services.

Mr Sabi stated in order to probe the complaint of Dr Fazili a four-member probe committee was constituted through a noti-fication on Oct 28, 2015. He added that the probe committee finalised its findings in Feb 2016 and observed that it was clear from the available records that Dr Nisar had sent to Dr Fazili such letters and e-mails, which compelled Dr Fazili to make a complaint to the vice chancellor.

The probe body stated, `Thereafter, in response Dr Nisar sent another letter to Dr Fazili in which unethical words have been used and even the Aligarh Muslim University professors have been alleged as bargainers.

The lawyer said the report provides that the correspondence exchanged between both Prof Nisar and Dr Fazill confirm the mala fide intention of Dr Nisar against Dr Hifazatullah.

He said over a year had passed but the report of the inquiry committee had yet not been placed before the syndicate for decision against Prof Nisar.