Alleged immoral activities on premises: Staff strike continues at COMSATS University

ABBOTTABAD: The entire faculty, administration and other staff of the COMSATS University Abbottabad Campus on Thursday announced an indefinite strike after a boycott of classes was observed to protest the alleged immoral activities on the premises of the varsity including an incident that took place at the Foreign Faculty Residence.

After the protest, the staff decided to continue the strike to stress an impartial inquiry to fix responsibility for the incident that occurred at the Foreign Faculty Residence, a multi-story guesthouse within COMSATS premises having 12 flats with 24 rooms.

It was learnt that this building was reportedly in the possession of the Campus Director who had been residing there instead of the Director’s Residence since his joining the campus.

Faculty members and the university management officials told this correspondent that Director, Higher Education Commission Tahir Ali Shah had stayed at the guest house for a few days along with a woman whom he portrayed as his wife.

Faculty members said they felt the promotion of an unbecoming environment at the campus which was not acceptable to them as well as local residents.

They said girl students felt insecure in such an environment.

The faculty members alleged that the Proctorial Board of the campus was dissolved after it pointed out such incidents.

The staff asked for ensuring a fully protected environment not only for students but also for staff.

It may be pointed out that COMSATS Abbottabad Campus has no previous history of strikes. But panic gripped the students, parents, as well as teachers who asked the government to look into the matter and take appropriate action.

Cops were deployed at the university to avoid any untoward incidents.

When contacted, COMSATS University Abbottabad Campus Media Manager, Sardar Naseer Ahmed, told The News that an inquiry committee comprising senior faculty members had been constituted.

The committee, he added, Dr Chaudhry Arshad Mehmood, Dr Shakir Hafeez, Dr Nauman Khan Tareen, Syed Fida Hussain Shah, Muhammad Shaukat, Naeem Ahmed, Ehtisham Gul and Adam Zahoor.

He said a notification issued on May 17 by the Human Resource Department had asked the inquiry committee to probe the incident.