Rafiq Ahmad Pampori (born 13 February 1956) is a Kashmiri Islamic scholar, academic and a writer, who established the Darul Uloom Ilahiya, an Islamic seminary in Srinagar. He is seen as a top practitioner of neuroscience in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ahmad is an alumnus of Sri Pratap College and the Government Medical College, Srinagar. He is the rector of Darul Uloom Ilahiya, Srinagar and the director of Illahiya Dialysis Center in Soura. He has served as the registrar and the principal of Government Medical College. He has authored books including Aijazul Qur'ān and Ra'fatul Baari, a five-volume commentary on the Sahih Bukhari.
In 1983, Ahmad was appointed registrar of the Government Medical College, Srinagar.[1] In 1990, he was appointed a lecturer in the ENT department of the college and later became its head professor.[1] He was appointed the principal of the college on 1 October 2012.[4][5] He went on a protest leave in December 2015 seeking voluntarily retirement, while his tenure as the principal was to end on 1 February 2018. He cited that "he cannot see the institutions (GMC and Associated Hospital) deteriorating".[1][6] It was said that he was forced to apply for the premature retirement by Lal Singh Chaudhary, a politician of the BJP.[7]
Ahmad withdrew his retirement plea at the request of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.[7] Meanwhile, Lal Singh had appointed Kaiser Ahmad as the interim principal on 19 December 2015, who denied to quit the post.[8][9] It was seen as "a clash of egos and a PDP v/s BJP battle" by Omar Abdullah.[8] According to Kashmir Observer, the government cleared the controversy declaring Kaiser as the principal on 22 December 2015.[10]
Ahmad is also the founder and director of Illahiya Dialysis Center, Soura.[11][12] It was set up by the Voluntary Medical Trust, of which Ahmad is chairman.[12][13] He also serves as the rector of Darul Uloom Ilahiya since its inception in 1992.[3]
Publications
Ahmad has authored books such as Aijazul Qur'ān, Instrument For Understanding Qur'ān, Ra'fatul Baari (a five-volume commentary on Sahih Bukhari) and The Need for Divine Guidance.[2] His other academic publications include:
Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media, 10th chapter in Textbook of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases by Mohammad Maqbool and Suhail Maqbool.[14]
Primary tumor of the facial nerve: Diagnosis and management.[15]