Use of drugs by BZU students growing: report

VC terms it ‘exaggeration’

LAHORE

Use of drugs by students, especially of Fine Arts, of Multan’s Bahauddin Zakariya University is on the increase, reveals a secret inquiry to probe such reports.

Sources told The News that in such a report the Special Branch had informed the Chief Minister about the development at the largest university in South Punjab, who subsequently directed the Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) to hold a secret inquiry into the same and submit a report accordingly.

The sources said earlier this month HED’s additional secretary (Academics) Dr Shoaib had spent two days on BZU’s Multan Campus without the knowledge of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Tahir Amin. The officer had secret meetings with teaching and non-teaching staff and students to know the facts. They said the report that was shared with the chief minister also revealed that drug abuse was especially prevalent among Fine Arts students, as almost 10 percent of their total strength used drugs. 

An official privy to the inquiry, requesting anonymity, said some employees of the university were involved in supply of drugs on the campus.

Another official, seeking anonymity, said as a first step universities in Punjab had been directed to warn the students and teaching community of disciplinary action for “sale, purchase, possession and use of narcotics” on their respective campuses.  

Last year, there was a great hue and cry following a shocking report presented before the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control which revealed that up to 53 percent students of elite private schools in Islamabad were addicted to drugs.

It is pertinent to mention that in December last year a student of a leading private university of Lahore was found dead in his hostel reportedly “due to cardiac arrest caused by drug overdose.”

When contacted, BZU VC Prof Dr Tahir Amin while confirming that some five to seven students of the Fine Arts Department were found involved in drug abuse termed the report ‘exaggerated’. He, however, said action was being taken against those involved. About disciplinary action, he said initially the students were warned while their families had also been informed.

“Some faculty members were also involved in politicizing the issue,” he claimed, and added one of the visiting faculty members had already been fired.

The VC said the BZU administration was in close contact with police and intelligence agencies to unearth any network involved in supply of drugs to the students on campus.

Punjab Higher Education Minister Syed Raza Ali Gillani said he had already ordered formation of a high-powered committee to investigate the issue thoroughly. Saying that stern action would be taken against all those involved, the minister said he would personally visit the university on March 3.