Under custody Sargodha varsity official dies

LAHORE: Former chief executive officer (CEO) of Sargodha University’s Lahore sub-campus, Mian Javed Iqbal, currently on judicial remand of NAB in a corruption case, apparently died of cardiac arrest on Friday.

Police removed the body to morgue for autopsy. An official of Prisons Department said Professor Mian Javed was being held at Camp Jail Lahore where he suffered cardiac arrest. He was rushed to Services Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The pictures of the deceased professor's body in handcuffs went viral on the social media. The users of social media strongly criticised the authorities over keeping a professor in handcuffs.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Professor Javed earlier in October along with former Sargodha University vice-chancellor Dr Mohammad Akram Chaudhry and four other university officials. The professor was later shifted to camp jail on judicial remand.

The suspects were accused of receiving millions in bribes for allowing third parties to establish illegal sub-campuses.

A spokesperson for NAB said the accountability court had sent Professor Javed on judicial remand in October shortly after his arrest. He added the jailers had formally ensured that the suspect was in good health at the time of taking over his custody. The jail officials had shifted the deceased professor to Services Hospital on Friday after he had complained of chest pain. The spokesperson strongly denied the perception that the suspect died in NAB custody.

The spokesperson also said that the NAB officials expressed deep sorrow over the death of Professor Javed.