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For the first time ever, the IBA conducted an online
Election of the Alumni Representative on the IBA Board
of Governors, in addition to the customary manual
elections. Not only was it the first time that the
elections were online in IBA, it was also the first time
of its happening in any educational institute of
Pakistan. Needless to say, this was a major feather in
IBA’s cap, being the first institute in Pakistan to
develop its own online election portal.
 The
election was held from October 07, 2015 to November 07,
2015, with the votes being cast online on November 05
and November 06, and manually in the IBA City Campus (CEE)
on November 07. IBA also provided voters the opportunity
to vote online using on-campus facilities, available on
both day of the online voting.
The result of transferring the process online was that
the number of voters increased multifold. Where in the
previous elections, the voters’ list amounted to a few
hundred candidates, this time it boasted over nine
thousand people, with about a thousand votes cast in
all. While most of the votes were cast online, some
alumni also showed up to cast their votes manually,
where they not only got the chance to vote, but also to
meet and mingle with old batch-mates. Arrangements were
made for the voting alumni to mingle with their fellows
over snacks and drinks.
While many prominent alumni participated in the election
from all across the globe, His Excellency, Mamnoon
Hussain, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
was amongst the first ones to cast his vote online.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shaukat Aziz,
although separated by distance but obviously not by
heart, also participated in the election by voting
through the online portal. It was indeed a heartening
sight to see graduates as far back as 1959 coming over
to IBA to exercise their right to vote on the polling
day as well.
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Here is a message from the
newly elected Representative:
Dear IBA Alumni
It is an honor for me to have been
re-elected as your representative on the IBA
Board of Governors. I would like to take
this opportunity to thank you all for your
support and confidence in me, without which
this achievement would not have been
possible. To all those who voted for me,
thank you again; to those who did not, I
urge you to forget the past, and join hands
as a team for the betterment of the IBA and
its alumni. We are all one large family that
has many challenges ahead for the
institution and for the alumni. I seek
everyone’s help and support to overcome
these challenges.
Here, I would also like to extend the
gratitude of the alumni to the IBA Team,
especially Mr. Haris Siddiqui, Manager
Alumni Affairs, and Mr. Imran Batada, Head
of ICT, who helped develop an efficient and
easy-to-use Online Election Portal which
allowed Alumni all over the world to partake
in the Election. Alumni from all over the
world have praised the system. The Returning
Officer, Capt. Ahmed Zaheer, also deserves
our appreciation and thanks.
You may recall that I had mentioned that an
immediate issue facing us is the imminent
departure of Dr. Ishrat Husain. Dr. Sahib
leaves us in March 2016. Whereas the
appointment of a new Director is the sole
prerogative of the Government of Sindh, but
we can certainly suggest names to the
Government. I, therefore, request you to
please urgently forward your suggestions to
me for his replacement. I look forward to a
name worthy of this eminent position,
capable of taking IBA to new heights of
excellence. I shall forward the names(s) to
the Government, and try to ensure that the
interests of the IBA are protected.
It has also been suggested that we take
advantage of the wealth of experience
available in the IBA alumni body. Perhaps
the creation of specialized think-tanks
would be the vehicle through which we could
move forward. Therefore, I would seek your
suggestions and views, and volunteers who
would like to join these proposed groups.
Please email me your names, contacts and
areas of interest that you may wish to
contribute.
I look forward to your response, and
thank you once again for your support.
Sincerely,
Shahid Shafiq
Alumni Representative on the IBA Board of
Governors |
A total of seven candidates contested the elections: Mr.
Aitzaz Khalid (MBA 2008), Mr. M. Munawar Jamal (MBA
2009), Mr. Muhammad Saadi Mansuri (MBA 2007), Mr. Rao
Nisar Ahmed (MBA 1984), Mr. Shahid Shafiq (MBA 1974),
Ms. Yasmin Zafar (MBA 1979), and Mr. Zaki Ahmed Sharif
(MBA 1982). The results of the election were announced
on the same day as the manual voting, at 3.30 PM. Mr.
Shahid Shafiq secured the highest number of votes, and
was re-elected Alumni Representative on the Board of
Governors.
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