IJT demonstrates against PU admin

Registrar says Jamiat’s real demand for expelled students' reinstatement won't be accepted; PUASA calls on CM to take notice of hooliganism

LAHORE

The Punjab University students staged a protest demonstration on donkey carts, in which hundreds of students took part against the university administration.

According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, IJT organied the protest demonstration from Islamic Centre to VC office in which hundreds of male and female students participated. They staged the demonstration in a unique way on donkey carts against the administration. They were carrying placards on which their demands were written.

PU Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) President Usama Naseer, addressing the rally, said that students had deep concern over the university security issues, i.e. mobile and purse snatching. He said the girls’ harassment by male security guards in the name of security was also of grave concern. He said that despite spending a huge amount of money on building university walls and its prerequisites, still the university had worse security conditions. He added that collection of 'bhatta' in the name of parking fee was unacceptable. He also said that fixed mess bill charges of Rs 3,300 were being charged from every female student irrespective of the fact she ate or not.

Moreover, abounding hygienic problems and low quality food in the girls hostel mess is causing many problems, he alleged.

He said that the students' demands for laptops, increase in the number of buses and new hostels should be addressed as early as possible. 

On the other hand, PU administration tried to dismantle the protest by locking the doors and suspending exams. The administration also displayed notices to take severe action against the participants. Police and security guards were also called in.

Meanwhile, Punjab University Registrar Prof Dr Liaqat Ali has said that the real demand of Jamiat is to reinstate those expelled students who are involved in various incidents of violence on campus which will not be accepted at all.

Instead, the university administration will continue taking disciplinary actions against the students who will take law into their hands, he added.According to a press release, talking to the media outside Vice Chancellor’s office, Prof Dr Liaqat Ali said that around 42,000 students were studying on campus while even a few dozen students did not participate in the demonstration which clearly reflected that the protest had met failure. He said that most of the participants of the protest demonstration were not even students of Punjab University and they were outsiders and were wearing masks to hide their identity. He said that the female faculty members had pointed out that most of the girls in the demonstration were not the PU students.

Prof Dr Liaqat Ali said that Jamiat wanted to participate in the upcoming book fair and IJT’s this hidden demand would also not be accepted. He said that IJT demands were not genuine and were based on lies. He said that the university administration had closed several gates for the protection of teachers, employees and students, and cards were being checked keeping in view the current security situation in the country.

He said IJT wanted to interfere in the security affairs and endanger lives of everybody on campus by demanding opening of the closed gates. He said that the university was not charging any parking fee from students and Jamiat’s this demand was also false. Dr Liaqat Ali said that there were no any complaints regarding food quality in the mess of girls’ hostels. He said that Punjab University had the largest fleet of buses as compared to any other university in Pakistan and the university administration was purchasing new buses every year.

Meanwhile, Punjab University Academic Staff Association President Prof Dr Sajid Rashid and Secretary Dr Mahboob Hussain have called upon Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif to take notice of IJT "hooliganism".In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, they said that IJT activists had pushed teachers and used inappropriate words during their protest. They said that a few 'rogue elements' wanted to disrupt peaceful academic atmosphere of the campus. They demanded PU administration not to reinstate the expelled IJT students and cope with such elements with an iron hand.

reference: Punjab University will organise a condolence reference to pay tribute to renowned physicist and former PU Faculty of Science Dean Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem at Al-Raazi Hall at 10:30am today.

According to a press release issued here on Wednesday, PU Vice-Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran, senior journalist Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, Liaqat Baloch, Prof Dr Jamil Anwar, Ihsan Ullah Waqas, Prof Dr Muhammad Ali, Prof Dr Khawaja Muhammad Zakria, Prof Maqsood Anwar Butt and Iftikhar Ahmad Chaudhary will address on the occasion.