Generally Assembly meet takes decisions on surveys of Sachar Committee beneficiaries, conferences on "Towards Human Understanding Through Dialogue".

New Delhi, August 10: The Institute of Objective Studies (IOS) has decided to survey the 90 minority-concentrated districts of India to study how the recommendations of the Sachar Committee (and consequent government action) have benefited the intended beneficiaries.

IOS Secretary General Prof. Z.M. Khan told newsmen here today that their programme would involve "data collection, collation, analysis and evaluation" of the impact of government action to alleviate the distress of the minorities, particularly Muslims.

Prof. Khan said the decision was taken at a three-day (August 8-9-10) meeting of IOS General Assembly (GA) in New Delhi. Other far-reaching decisions taken at the meeting included starting of work on an IOS Centre for Arabic and Islamic Studies and the establishment of a para-medical university.

Another major decision was taken to establish an IOS Foundation for Education headed by Justice A. M. Ahmadi as Chairman and Governor A.R. Kidwai and the following as members. Dr. M. Manzoor Alam, Mr. Shabbir Bhai Nooruddin, Dr. M. Bashir, Mr. Manzoor A. Shariff, Mr. Agha Sultan, Dr. Majeed Alam, Prof. Z.M Khan, Dr. Ausaf Ahmad.

A committee has been formed to examine the modalities and doing spade work on the para-medical university under the chairmanship of former Chief Justice of India Justice A.M. Ahmadi, Members of the committee included A.R. Kidwai, Governor of Haryana, economist Dr. Abusaleh Shariff, Kunil Bashir and Manzoor Sharif.

Prof. Khan said the members of the committee represented long experience of public life and came from different regions of the country. The meeting also decided to evolve a "strategic plan" for the next five years on the basis of their "perspective plan," which was already in place.

Among the focal points of the strategic plan would be a long and sustained campaign to distance the Muslim community from what he called the "trap of intellectual confusion and emotional response to issues". He quoted from IOS Chairman Dr. Mohammad Manzoor Alam's remarks at the meet, "We must break out of the vicious spiral of intellectual confusion and childish slavery to emotions."

Another focal point of the IOS strategic plan would involve an enduring, long-term effort towards "harmonising the legal culture" with Indian social ethos and imperatives of a just social order. The IOS would organise 9 national and international conferences in the months ahead in collaboration with other NGOs, research institutions, IIMs, IITs and universities. The themes of the conferences would be:
 

1. Towards a Fiqh for Minorities: Some Basic Reflections
2. The Ethics of Disagreement in Islam
3. Islam and Economic Challenge
4. Crisis in the Muslim Minds
5. The Challenge of Pluralism and the Middle Way of Islam
6. Theories of Islamic Law: The Methodology of Ijtihad
7. Islam's Contribution to World Civilization
8. Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations: New Directions for Methodology and Thought
9. Islam: Source and Purpose of Knowledge

The General Assembly appointed Raju Mansukhani a media consultant, the convenor of two major long-term programmes of "Understanding Islam" and "Future Focus Outreach". The GA also re-elected Dr. Alam Chairman and Prof. Khan Secretary General. Dr. Manzoor Ahmad was reappointed Vice-Chairman, while Dr. Ishtiyaque Danish was appointed Assistant Secretary and Prof. Ausaf Ahmad was appointed Finance Secretary.

The new GC members (elected for five years), said Prof. Khan, were Dr. M.K.A. Siddiqui (Kolkata), Prof. A.R. Momin (Mumbai), Dr. Abdul Quddus (Patna), Prof. Mohsin Usmani (Hyderabad), Prof. Afzal Wani (Delhi) and Prof. Sanghasen Singh (Delhi).