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Friday April 19, 2024

Long detour for IIU students after closure of I-10 entryway

Islamabad The International Islamic University, Islamabad, students have complained about the closure of the I-10 entrance to the H-11 campus and said they had to take a long detour to enter the premises. There are three entryways to the campus, one from H-11 Police Lines, second from the Kashmir Highway

By our correspondents
January 19, 2015
Islamabad
The International Islamic University, Islamabad, students have complained about the closure of the I-10 entrance to the H-11 campus and said they had to take a long detour to enter the premises.
There are three entryways to the campus, one from H-11 Police Lines, second from the Kashmir Highway and third from I-10.
However, after the massacre of schoolchildren in Peshawar by militants last month, the university closed the I-10 entrance for security reasons.
The university had resumed academic activities last Monday (January 12) after a three weeks break over terrorist threats.
Five years ago, October 20, 2009 to be exact, the H-10 campus of the IIU saw twin suicide bombings, which left six people, three women among them, dead and 29, mostly women, injured.
Now when classes have resumed on the campus, students, especially girls, complained the closure of I-10 entryway had stressed them out.
Among them is a girl student of MSc (sociology), who lives around a mile away in Rawalpindi.
“After reaching there from home by a public van, I used to walk from I-10 Markaz to the campus via I-10 entrance until lately when that gate was closed on security grounds.
“Now, the closet entryway to the campus is that of the Police Lines side but that is too far away from I-10 Markaz, so father has tasked my brother with picking and dropping me there,” she said.
Another student, who lives in I-8/4 and uses the university bus, regretted closure of the I-10 entrance, which, he said, was the shortest possible way to the campus for those coming in from Rawalpindi or sectors of I series.
“When I miss the bus in the morning, I come to I-10 Markaz by public transport and then either wait for some friend with motorcycle or car or use expensive taxicab to reach university. The closure of the I-10 gate is to blame for my troubles,” he said.
He said on average, cabbies charged Rs200 for taking him to the campus from I-10 Markaz.
The students said the administration should reopen the I-10 entryway after putting in place strict security checks there like deployment of armed guards, provision of metal detectors to them, and installation of walk through gates.