islamabad - The students of Quaid-i-Azam University went on strike yesterday against the penetration of the student wing of a religio-political party at the campus, terming it a security threat.
The student gave a call of strike after the university disciplinary committee expelled three students for allegedly beating a student who, according to them, was caught with Jihadi/sectarian literature.
A couple of weeks ago a student complained to the vice-chancellor that some students had beaten him up. However, the other group denying any beating alleged that the student was caught with Jihadi literature and a group of students with the support of teaching faculty is trying to penetrate Islami Jamiat Talba, a student wing of Jamat-I-Islami, at the campus.
The incident was probed by the university disciplinary committee that announced to expel three students from hostel and imposed Rs 120,00 fine on each student. The decision infuriated the students who announced to strike terming it one-sided. The students say the Provost Dr Anwar Shah, who himself is a member of IJT, influenced the decision.
The provost with help of some other staffers is promoting the ideology of IJT which is a security threat to the university, said Zarak Khan, one of the expelled students. The government is spending billions of rupees on National Action Plan but is doing nothing about the networks of extremist political parties operating in university campuses, he said. He alleged that such elements are security threats to the campuses as militants who attack educational institutions have support from within the campuses.
Unlike Punjab University and Islamic University, the QAU that has been rated as the number one institute of higher learning of the country recently by the Higher Education Commission had trivial presence of such elements before but students’ councils on ethnic basis have been functional at the campus.
The students boycotted the academic activity and protested at the campus against the administration for turning a blind eye towards such elements. They demanded the removal of the provost and banning the activities of extremist elements.
The students did not let the bus service run and a few of them also locked the classrooms to restrict academic activity.
The students said the strike would continue until the university administration reverts disciplinary action taken against three students and removes the provost from his post.
Dean Biological Sciences Dr Waseem Ahmed who negotiated with the students on behalf of university administration, when contacted, said a committee consisting of three deans and VC has been constituted to ascertain the facts and probe allegations against the provost. On the basis of committee’s finding, the committee will decide about the removal of the Dr Anwar Shah from the seat of provost, he added.