IBA advertises for HR head’s post in spite of varsities dept’s recommendation to reinstate sacked director

Instead of reinstating the dismissed human resource (HR) director on the recommendations of the universities and boards department, the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) has published an advertisement to hire a new HR director.

According to the available record, the institute had on September 18, 2021 dismissed its HR director Mashooque Ali Bhatti on charges of misconduct. However, in its public announcement, the institute said that the senior employee was fired over charges of harassment.

The IBA initiated a total of three inquiries against him over charges of harassment and misconduct. The initial inquiry, which was about harassment accusations, was concluded in May 2021 but before the inquiry body could present its report, it was dissolved.

On June 26, 2021, the IBA board of governors (BOG) discussed the matter and recommended that another inquiry committee comprising three BOG members be formed to probe charges of harassment against Bhatti.

However, against the recommendation of the BOG, the IBA formed a lower-level committee that was headed by the complainant. Bhatti approached court against the new committee and obtained stay order against it.

The institute, however, formed another parallel inquiry committee without the approval of the BOG to investigate charges of misconduct against him. When the HR director appeared before the committee, he stated that the body had no authority to conduct an inquiry against him as it had not got approval from the BOG.

That committee later recommended the dismissal of the HR director and the IBA endorsed the committee’s decision on September 18, 2021, by firing the HR head.

On September 21, Bhatti filed an appeal to the chief minister against his dismissal and alleged that he was being victimised by the IBA management. On his appeal, the Sindh universities and boards department conducted its own inquiry and made a committee for that, which also included a faculty member from the IBA.

The committee decided the case in favour of Bhatti on November 10, 2021, and maintained that no such offence had been found on Bhatti’s part that merited his dismissal. The universities and boards department recommended the IBA to reinstate Bhatti as the HR director. A copy of the department’s inquiry report was also sent to the institute.

Meanwhile, the department on November 15, 2021, sent a summary in this regard to the CM for his approval. The summary still awaits to be signed by the CM. However, the IBA has advertised for a new HR director.

Commenting on the IBA’s advertisement, Bhatti said if the matter was pending for final approval with the CM, the institute should not have published the advertisement.

“The IBA leadership has been unfair in their actions against me,” he told The News. He maintained that when powerful people of the institute could not have him fired over harassment charges, they levelled charges of misconduct against him and made another inquiry committee to ensure his dismissal because he had been pointing out irregularities in the financial and procedural affairs of the institute.

When The News contacted the IBA communications head, Ayesha Javed, she said the institute had not received any report or notification from the universities and boards department for the reinstatement of Bhatti. She added that she would be able to comment on the matter only if any such notification was received.