ISLAMABAD - The International Islamic University Islamabad Sunday confirmed that some students set up an Israeli stall in the campus without the permission of university’s administration.
Spokesman of the Islamic University Hairan Khattak said action has been ordered against those responsible for the event. “Faculty of Management Sciences (Female Campus), International Islamic University Islamabad was holding Women Model United Nations 2014 where a few students arranged a stall exhibiting Israel culture without the knowledge and permission of the University authorities,” Khattak said in a statement. “The IIUI strongly condemns the incident and no sooner did they come to know about the matter then the programme was cancelled without any further delay,” he said.
The spokesman said the authorities have also issued orders of strict disciplinary action against those responsible for the act.
 “The university intends to clarify that the exhibition was not the part of the permitted programme while, on the other hand, a number of resolutions were passed against the Israeli brutalities in Palestine during the first day proceedings of Women Model United Nations,” he added. “Israel’s oppressive regime and cruel attacks against Gazans were condemned in clear terms in those resolutions. One of the resolutions suggests the cancellation of Israel’s membership of the United Nations,” he said.
The university also clarified that it considers the Palestine issue as the issue concerning the whole of Muslim Ummah and the university’s stance on the issue is same as the stance of Government of Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world. “A number of Palestinian students have graduated from IIUI and many of them are still studying here. A Palestinian student was the participant in the said programme and she, along with her other group members, highlighted the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.”
In the meeting of higher authorities of IIUI on Sunday, the orders of the suspension of those responsible for the incident have been issued.
A high powered committee has also been constituted to probe the matter in detail and in the light of the recommendations of the said committee the future strategy would be evolved to deal with such matters.
The university administration would like to further explain, President IIUI Dr Ahmed Yousif Al-Draiweesh did not visit any cultural exhibition at the sideline of the programme and the stall exhibiting Israeli cultural was arranged without his permission and knowledge.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that a group of student forced the closure of a stall that allegedly displayed Israeli culture at the old campus of International Islamic University Islamabad near Faisal Mosque yesterday that caused uproar in the country as well as among the Palestinian students.
The Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba rushed to the university and forcibly closed the stall and staged a demonstration against the Israeli cultural stall and demanded removal of all those responsible for allowing the stall.
Addressing the demonstration, the IJT leader Hafiz Idrees said that the event has tried to tarnish the image of the Islamic University.
He said the Israeli stall has hurt sentiments of the Muslims across the world.
The stall was organised as part of “UN Debate Contest” under the auspices of the Women Faculty of Management Sciences in the hall right under the Faisal Mosque.
Certain women students, including foreigners organised the Israeli stall where Israeli products were displayed and efforts were made to depict the Zionist country as a flagbearer of peace. The Israeli flag and photo of the Israeli prime minister and different banners were also displayed. In the central banner of the stall which depicted the Israeli flag in the background was written “Welcome to the land of peace & prosperity”.
 A University official Dr Aziz-ur-Rahman when contacted said that the Israeli stall was organised without permission by women students who had installed stalls of the UN member countries. However it was closed as soon as it came to the knowledge of the administration.
On social media some people called the stall as a shameful act and called for action by the government.
“Israel is the murderer of our brothers and sisters in Palestine. Their culture being promoted in an Islamic University cannot be done without the permission of its authorities,” some Palestinian students said.