Teachers, HRCP slam ‘detention’ of Dr Riaz

KARACHI: The Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS) on Saturday censured the brief detention of Prof Dr Riaz Ahmed, a KU faculty and syndicate member. The KUTS also announced observing a black day and completely boycotting classes on Monday (tomorrow) in protest.

The KUTS said teachers are the architects of any nation and guardians of ideological boundaries. They said Pakistan is a free Islamic state where individuals have the democratic right to dissent. However, they added, depriving teachers of this right poses a significant threat to the security of Pakistan.

They also said that no society can prevent its downfall if it disrespects its teachers, and that such behaviour towards any KU professor is unacceptable under any circumstances.

Following Dr Ahmed’s release, the KUTS expressed gratitude to all university professors, non-teaching associations, student organisations, the Sindh Professors & Lecturers Association, the Federation of All Pakistan Universities’ Academic Staff Association, civil society organisations and the public for their immediate and strong support in favour of a teacher’s rights.

Dr Ahmed, who had gone missing on his way to attend a KU syndicate meeting on Saturday, was found at the Bahadurabad police station, from where he was handed over to his family after seven hours.

Speaking to the media after his release, the professor claimed that the police had detained him to prevent him from attending the syndicate meeting. He said the police took him to different police stations.

“When my colleagues and family members gathered at the Bahadurabad police station after seeing my car parked there, the police released me,” he pointed out.

He remarked that the syndicate meeting was supposed to approve several important cases involving key personalities, and the police action was taken to keep him away from the meeting.

A video clip recorded at the Bahadurabad police station by civil society members and his family shows Dr Ahmed saying that he was first taken to the Jamshed Town police station, then to the Bahadurabad police station and then to the Brigade police station. After the commotion, however, he was brought back to the Bahadurabad police station “like a well-behaved child”, the professor can be heard saying in the video clip.

Earlier, his wife had posted on social media that Dr Ahmed had left the house at 1:15pm to attend the syndicate meeting, but neither did he reach KU nor was he reachable since then.

A statement issued by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also expressed deep concerns over the incident. “Strangely, he was brought back to the police station after the police denied that they had detained him.”

The HRCP pointed out that this was the second time Dr Ahmed had disappeared. They said that no FIR was lodged against him in the present case, with no explanation as to why he was detained at all. “The use of such tactics must cease.”

Bahadurabad SHO Naeem Rajput told The News that the perception being given that the police had arrested Dr Ahmed is incorrect. “We did not arrest Dr Riaz, but there was some information related to a 2017 case at the Artillery Maidan police station that the police had.”

They officer claimed that the police were heading to his house regarding that information when they happened to meet him on the way.

“We requested him to come to the police station to discuss the information, to which he agreed and came with us. After the matter was resolved, his wife was informed, and she came to the police station. After that, we handed him over to his family.”