KARACHI - The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police has convened the meeting of vice chancellors (VCs) of eleven major universities of the province to counter extremism and terrorism.

The decision has been taken keeping in view the involvement of highly educated persons in incidents of terrorism in the country.

According to a senior CTD official, the Special Cell of Sindh police have invited the vice chancellors to a meeting so that the CTD could brief them about the radicalization of youth at educational institutions.

Letters have been dispatched to all the VCs to attend the meeting at CTD office on July 12. 

The officer further said that not only the CTD would brief them about the role of terrorist organisations, but would also seek their suggestions as how to stop such activities at educational institutions.

It is reminded here that the law enforcement agencies have found that students of different universities are involved in acts of terror.

They believe that the terrorist or extremist organisations have made the universities their target from where they recruit highly educated students in their outfits.

A senior police officer said, “We have the example of Saad Aziz before us. Not only Saad, but there are several other cases of terrorism which had their roots in universities. Youth are brainwashed by their colleagues or teachers at varsities. Things have changed now as in the past, professional fighters were enough for militancy, but now the terror outfits have shifted their strategy and are now focusing more and more on the recruitment of engineers and other highly educated persons and varsities are the best places for them.”

The universities whose VCs have been invited include University of Karachi, Federal Urdu University, Iqra University, National Institute of Computer and Emerging Sciences University, IBA, Bahria University Karachi Campus, Jinnah University for Men, Muhammad Ali Jinnah University and Sir Syed University.

The CTD officials would discuss with the VCs tactics employed by terrorists to recruit the youth in their outfits, and how the teachers can play their role as well as what should be the role of varsities in order to stop such activities.