KP IGP cautions governor about tense Hazara University situation

MANSEHRA: Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani has written a letter to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor, asking him to summon a meeting of all the stakeholders to discuss and find solution to the prevailing tension at the Hazara University.

“The chronic administrative issues, faculty polarisation and disciplinary problems at the university, if not settled immediately, could cause deterioration in the situation,” he revealed in his letter to Governor Iqbal Zafar Jahgra.

The IGP suggested to the governor, who is also chancellor of the Hazara University, to immediately summon the meeting of all stakeholders to take stock of the situation for taking corrective measures without any further loss of life and property.  The letter stated that the students blocked the Karakoram Highway to traffic after the November 2 incident. However, the prompt action by the police averted a major law and order situation.

“Frequently arising issues out of campus politics, linguistic and ethnic divides among students and systematic patronage by faculty/staff results in violent agitation and blockade of Karakoram Highway (KKH) and that fragile trend could trigger a possible embarrassment to national and international causes as Chinese frequently pass through it for projects being executed under multi-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,” it added.

The letter, which was also dispatched to the chief minister and others, stated that the police averted a major law and order situation after the November 2 incident in which two students were killed. It said the angry students rushed to the KKH and blocked it to traffic but the prompt action by the police averted any serious law and order situation.  

“This was not an isolated incident as the FIRs of 23 such cases have already been lodged with the police,” the latter stated. The provincial police chief said over 10,000 students belonging to different linguistic, ethnic, cultural and sectarian groups were getting education in the university. “However, there exists a deep-rooted divide and grouping among the faculty/administrative staff who are patronising different students groups to edge out others in internal politics of the university,” the letter added.