PU expels 17 students for rioting

LAHORE : Punjab University (PU) has expelled 13 students belonging to Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) and four students belonging to Pashtun/Baloch organisations involved in creating law and order situation on campus on January 22.

In the first phase of disciplinary action, PU administration has also imposed penalties of Rs 10,000 fine coupled with three months probation on five students. The expelled students belonging to IJT are Osama Ejaz, Muneeb Farooq, Rahat Ali, Sikandar Kakar, Muhammad Uneeb Afzal, Ahmed Zakriya, Abdul Baseer, Osama Bin Shafaat, Hidayatullah, Samiullah Khan, Zeeshan Ashraf, Mian Arsalan and Arif ur Rehman.

The expelled students belonging to Pashtun/Baloch organisations are Asfand Yar, Alamgeer Khan, Naeem Wazir, Paiuddin Khan while their six students — Muazam Ali Shah, Maqbool Lehri, Salman Wazir, Salman Ahmed, Waris Khan and Ashraf Khan — were rusticated. A warning was also issued to one student named Ahmed Khan.

The expulsion means now the student cannot get admission to any department of the university forever while rustication is for one year. The penalties of Rs 10,000 fine coupled with three months probation was imposed on five students. They are Ajab Khan, Abbas, Abdul Salam, Dolat Khan and Rehan Khan. Two ex-students, Bilal Ahmed and Dawood Khan, one each from both sides, were declared persona non grata by the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee has also banned entry of the expelled and rusticated students to the university.

A PU spokesman said the Disciplinary Committee had also initiated the second phase of inquiry while issuing notices to 30 more students on the basis of evidences being collected. It is pertinent to mention here that this is for the first time in the recent history of Punjab University to punish those students involved in creating unrest on campus with major penalty that is expulsion from the university.

On the instructions of PU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Zakria Zakar, the Disciplinary Committee, consisting of senior professors, had maintained high standards of justice, objectivity and fair play. The decision in the first phase of the inquiry was based on foolproof evidences corroborated by many types of material which includes recording of surveillance cameras, eyewitnesses and documentary record, he added.

The PU spokesman said some of the students produced fabricated documents before the Disciplinary Committee to avoid disciplinary action. However, they were shown evidences regarding their involvement in the incident by the committee members. Out of 34 students who were issued notices in the first phase, only three students i.e Shahid Nawaz, Ahmed Junaid and Muaz Ahmed were exonerated since their involvement in the clash could not be established through the available evidences.

The spokesman said the committee had observed extreme cautions not to harm any student who was not involved in the incident. He said the administration had also provided the involved students with an opportunity, as per university calendar, to file an appeal against the decision of the Disciplinary Committee within 15 days to the VC.

The spokesman said the administration was committed not to tolerating any pressure from any student organisation. He warned any students who resorted to any unlawful reaction against the decision of the committee would be dealt with disciplinary action as according to the law since the inquiry into the same incident was in the second phase to take disciplinary action against more students who would be found involved in the incident.

The spokesman said the administration was also making all-out effort to ensure peace, tranquility and rule of law at campus. He said any effort to sabotage the peaceful academic environment would be dealt with an iron hand and no leniency would be shown to any deviant student.