Questions over Bahawalpur varsity scandal investigation

ISLAMABAD: Parents of approximately 27,000 female students are grappling with the dilemma of whether to send their daughters back to the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) amidst the recent alleged sex and drugs scandal that has sent shockwaves through southern Punjab.

An investigative probe by The News reveals that the alleged sex and drug scandal at the university is not as extensive as presented by the Punjab police and the media, and the claims of 5,500 explicit videos and photos of girls being recovered from university officials may have been exaggerated. Background briefings, interviews with officials of district administration and police, university’s top management and perusal of the official documents reveal that the IUB’s alleged vast network of sex and drug scandals may not be entirely accurate.

The story can be traced back two years when an intelligence report prepared by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) in June 2021 highlighted a pervasive network involving politicians, police officials, drug peddlers, and sex workers. However, the IB report was ignored by the local police. The News has also learnt that neither the report nor any part of its contents were ever shared with the IUB. Furthermore, out of dozens of individuals named in the report only two belonged to the university.

The Bahawalpur police arrested IUB treasurer Dr Abubakar on June 28, 2023, and IUB Chief Security Officer Major (r) Ijaz Shah on July 20, 2023. According to a police special report, serious allegations of drug peddling, sexual harassment, and blackmail against students were leveled against the university officials. The report, which was not included in the court challan, annexed screenshots of WhatsApp conversations that implicated both individuals with multiple women, some including photos. The FIR mentioned explicit material, including nude photos and videos of female students and faculty, but this aspect was later ignored.

The magistrate hearing the matter questioned the lack of investigation into explicit material found in the accused’s mobile phones, hinting at either possible exaggeration or an attempt to bury the sex-related aspects of the scandal. Why the police backed out from the allegations of sexual harassment is a question that is yet to be answered. This discrepancy raises concerns about the police’s approach, leaving some to question whether they exaggerated the sexual aspect or attempted to bury it as they had no proof to back the initial sensational allegations.

The police special report claims that a group of professors were allegedly involved in drug peddling, drug use, and organizing dance/sex parties within and outside the university at various farmhouses. The report further claims that Dr Abubakar was said to be organizing parties involving drugs, alcohol, and exploitation of students and teachers. The report also implicated Major (r) Shah. The police report also names five faculty members in activities that took place both on university premises and outside at farmhouses, with students and female staff allegedly participating in these ‘parties’. The university’s top management claims that Dr Abubakar’s FIR was entirely about possession and sale of ICE and no allegations of any sexual nature were in the FIR.

The FIR against Maj (r) Shah detailed the recovery of drugs, sex pills, and explicit material, including nude photos and videos of university students and faculty. Based on this evidence, the investigation officer sought a fourteen-day physical remand to further interrogate him and conduct a forensic examination of his mobile phone.

There have also been questions over Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema’s son’s alleged links to drug peddlers and the women involved in the scandal. Questions also surround Cheema’s conflict of interest, as he and his business partner former parliamentarian Dr Afzal allegedly secured approval for their private university’s charter. With the ongoing sex and drug scandal, concerns arise that their private university may gain an unfair advantage by attracting more students post-scandal. According to sources, Dr Afzal got their university’s charter approved through a private member bill from the Punjab Assembly during the last days of the Pervez Elahi government.

The Bahawalpur police allegedly also neglected to question some of the characters tied to the drug peddling and sex scandal. Shah and Abubakar were reportedly in contact with these individuals but instead of interrogating these individuals, they were protected as police informants. The IUB’s top management claims that there is no evidence that Dr Abubakar or Maj (r) Ijaz Shah were in communication with any of the drug peddlers. The IUB management says: “The alleged ‘Combined Report’ on these incidents which was purportedly leaked by the DPO office is full of factually incorrect and bogus information as well as information which on evaluation and assessment totally disproves the case made by the DPO. As an example, the call data record (CDR) shown in support of drug dealing actually proves the opposite as the recording of those calls is available which shows that the university officials (not Dr Abubakar or Maj Ijaz Shah but rather Security Officer Asim Aseem Jutt) actually stopped the purported drug peddler from entering the university whereas a police constable was trying to make his entry possible using his connections with IUB security.”

According to sources, some women allegedly orchestrated the drug peddling and parties at various farmhouses. They also ran private girls’ hostels where they allegedly used blackmail to lure female students into compromising situations and then brought them to these gatherings. Some of them now have turned informants for the police.

One of the individuals currently in custody for drug possession was a longtime partner in crime with one of the women, providing drugs and sex workers to their elite clientele. There are photographs of the person in custody with Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema and his son, raising questions about potential connections. This individual also apparently has ties with Major (r) Ijaz Shah. Tariq Bashir Cheema has distanced himself from the individual who was later arrested and police recovered 1660 gram charas and 25 gram ICE from him.

The News tried to contact Tariq Bashir Cheema and his son Walidad Cheema for two days and made repeated attempts to get their version but they neither responded to calls nor a written questionnaire. The federal minister did, however, address a press conference and denied his son’s involvement in this whole case, accusing his political opponents of defaming him and demanding the formation of a commission comprising judges of a high court to investigate the case.

While IUB officials claim that Maj (r) Shah was investigating possible drug peddling among university students, the police allege a deeper connection. University officials believe that one of the women was used as a honey trap to gain information from Major (r) Ijaz Shah. The IUB officials however downplay the extent of his involvement. A more comprehensive investigation by an independent agency, not the police, will need to fully resolve the matter.

The university has been facing criticism vis-a-vis allegations of sexual harassment by faculty members who allegedly blackmail female students through explicit phots/videos taken by secrecy officer or security intelligence of the IUB within university premises. Former Vice-Chancellor Dr Athar Mehboob however has claimed that the ‘secrecy officers’ were primarily recruited to monitor the examination system and affiliated colleges. The secrecy officers report directly to the controller examination, while the security intelligence reports directly to the Department of Student Affairs.

Regarding sexual harassment cases, the official record reveals a mixed picture. Over the past few years, a total of 11 cases were reported, both by students and faculty members. The university formed committees to address these cases, and in some instances, the accused were found guilty and duly punished. In the academic years 2017-18 and 2018-19, one case each was reported and resolved. In 2019-20, two cases were reported by students and faculty, with resolutions in place. Similarly, in 2020-21, two cases were reported by students and two by faculty, leading to resolutions. The following year, 2021-22, saw a higher number of five cases reported by students, resulting in convictions and appropriate punishments. In 2023, two student cases and one faculty case were duly resolved by the center for prevention of harassment.

However, despite these efforts, concerns have been raised about the university’s reputation regarding sexual harassment and allegations of blackmail by faculty for better exam grades. The university’s top management claims that there is no such matter on record. There is also concern that while there is always the possibility of anything going wrong in an organization, assuming guilt without a real complaint would be wrong.

As per the official records of the university, there are a total of 26,970 female students enrolled in IUB, out of which 4,945 are residing in the on-campus girls’ hostels. This means one out of every six female students is accommodated on campus, while the majority commute as day-scholars or live in private hostels. The university’s records also reveal that in 2021, seven girls’ private hostels were approved whereas in 2022, five private girls hostels were approved.

The News contacted Bahawalpur RPO Rai Babar Saeed and Bahawalpur DPO Syed Muhammad Abbas but they did not respond. When contacted, Provincial Secretary Babar Aman Babar, who headed the three-member committee constituted by the Punjab chief minister to investigate the matter, said the committee has submitted its report to the competent authority and given the sensitivity of the subject he had rather not comment on it.

When contacted, Bahawalpur Commissioner Dr Ehtasham Anwar refrained from commenting on the ongoing investigation. About winning back parents’ trust to send their girls back to the university, the commissioner suggested that instead of enhancing the number of students, universities should work on improving the quality of teaching as well as the available facilities as overcrowding had its own issues. Quoting the example of the IUB, he said that many students, including girls, were forced to take up residences in private hostels outside the campus. From his experience of having worked as the education secretary, he suggested that the HEC needed to introduce a system of external examiners to avoid exploitation at the hands of the teachers.

Former vice-chancellor of the IUB, Dr Athar Mahboob shared his statement which reads as, “To the best of my knowledge and understanding, the present ‘scandal’ is not actually about what happened in Islamia University Bahawalpur but has to do with matters not related to the university. Two officials of the university were supposedly honey-trapped outside the university by the police. using ‘women’ and ‘planted ICE’ and these were used to register FIRs. Later, these women were made to disappear by the police. A review of the FIRs, the leaked ‘police report’, the video conference by the DPO, the fake yet highly inflammatory information spread on social media by notorious persons on the behest of the DPO and other information available will, in my humble opinion, convince any logical person to see through this conspiracy. So far no complainant or victims of any sort of sexual harassment or abuse have been identified. It will be speculative on my part to talk about the actors and motives of those behind this ‘conspiracy’.”

The former VC IUB also requested the relevant governmental agencies to get to the bottom of this matter to find the actors behind the conspiracy to defame the IUB.