Malakand varsity VC, teachers exchange harsh words

TIMERGARA: The faculty members at the University of Malakand (UoM) allegedly misbehaved with Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Gul Zaman, sources said on Thursday.

The situation subsequently became tense when the vice-chancellor warned a teacher that his security guard would shoot him.

The sources said some members of the Malakand University Teachers Association were protesting in favour of their demands when they exchanged harsh words with the vice-chancellor in the presence of the students.

The association’s president Samiur Rahman and general secretary Shafi along with more than 25 others were present at the scene.

The incident took place on Wednesday and its video went viral on social media. It brought a bad name to the institution.

The sources said the vice-chancellor accidentally came face to face with the protesting faculty members during working hours when he was on the way to inspect the new academic block along with chairmen of the English and Pashto departments, the sources added.

They said when he asked the protesting faculty members to avoid disturbing the peaceful environment in the university as a committee had already been formed to address their reservations over the formulation of new laws, the teachers reacted and allegedly exchanged harsh words with him.

The sources said the protesters allegedly attacked the vice-chancellor’s guard and tried to snatch his gun. They allegedly abused the vice-chancellor and his security guard when the latter resisted the action.

Meanwhile, the teachers staged a protest against the remarks of Vice-Chancellor Dr Gul Zaman, who angrily warned a teacher that his bodyguard would shoot him.

A video of the protest and threat of the vice-chancellor went viral on social media. The protesters said that the vice-chancellor was acting like a dictator and was taking unilateral decisions at the university.

The Malakand University Teachers Association, through a press release, said that they have lodged a roznamcha report with the police over the threat hurled at them by the vice-chancellor. No first information report (FIR) was lodged.

The press release noted that the teachers have been protesting in the University of Malakand for the last two weeks against the unilateral amendments made by the vice-chancellor in the university statutes without taking into confidence the relevant bodies such as the syndicate and the senate of the institution.

It pointed out that the university’s senate and syndicate were lacking the required representation of women members so far.