Gomal University closed for indefinite period after threat by ex-minister

PESHAWAR: Tension arose on Tuesday after threats were given to the vice-chancellor by former federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur amid students protest and Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, was closed down for an indefinite period.

Acting Governor/Chancellor public sector universities Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, on the other hand, has directed the university administration in response to a letter, ‘Situation alert’ to submit a progress report about the asset distribution within three days. The acting chancellor, instead of properly responding to the blatant threats given to a vice-chancellor by a former minister and a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, held the vice-chancellor responsible for the situation.

The chancellor in his letter stated that the situation had arisen due to the non-implementation of the provincial cabinet decision taken in March 2021, on asset distribution between Gomal University and newly- established Agriculture University, Dera Ismail Khan.

Meanwhile, the syndicate of Gomal University held an emergency meeting on Tuesday. The meeting discussed that maintenance of law-and-order situation was the responsibility of district administration in consultation with the university administration. “Since, the current situation was not improving even after making all possible efforts to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner, therefore, the syndicate decided that the university shall be closed for an indefinite period of time. The house principally agreed with the legitimate demands presented by the protesters through the negotiations committee and due processes be initiated and take up the matter with the concerned quarters involved if any,” said a notification issued after the syndicate’s meeting.

Earlier, Vice-Chancellor Gomal University Prof Dr Iftikhar Ahmad had sent a letter ‘Situation alert’ to the acting governor, accusing Ali Amin Gandapur of giving him serious threats. The vice-chancellor had requested the chancellor to intervene in the matter. The letter stated that the former federal minister has given threats to the vice-chancellor through a WhatsApp message. The reported message had been reproduced in the letter as: “It is better you should resign with respect and honour. We are waiting for your resignation. Please don’t take things to further disastrous levels as you have already damaged the university for two years. Don’t confront the students and their future anymore. Don’t disrespect yourself more. Someone told me much earlier about you when you were appointed VC Gomal that you are a negative man with no self-respect and integrity. Today, I endorsed his statement about you the way you are behaving and behaved earlier against the students and government. You want to be by force thrown out of the institution you headed as you don’t want to surrender with respect. I request you not to take things to that level. Otherwise, if I intervened and joined the students against your cruelty against them, you will get a lesson. I don’t want to give away the reputation of my district institution but I think you want yourself to be handled accordingly.”

The language used by the former minister in the message is self-explanatory. Full of grammatical mistakes and serious threats, the message has not been sent to a common man but the vice-chancellor of the second oldest and largest university of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The vice-chancellor stated that the former minister had been creating troubles through students led by some ex-students of the university. He said that he (Gandapur) openly supported the protesting students. “Since my honour, family and life are threatened by Mr Ali Amin Gandapur, the report is submitted for information and I seek your directives, what shall I do in these circumstances,” the vice-chancellor asked the acting governor.

Gomal University and the newly set up Agriculture University have been facing severe administrative and financial problems for the last two years. The two universities have locked horns over asset distribution.

Owing to the vice-chancellor’s decision not to abide by the provincial cabinet’s decision on asset distribution with the agriculture university, Dr Iftikhar was sent on forced leave in April 2021 for 90 days. The forced leave was extended for another three months. However, two days before the expiry of the second term of the forced leave, the vice-chancellor rejoined his office in October 2021 in line with the decision of the Peshawar High Court.

After rejoining the university, the vice-chancellor took some bold decisions. The most important decision was that of not accepting the provincial government’s directives and the university syndicate’s decision regarding asset distribution.

The governor finally called the university’s Senate meeting, which decided to issue a show-cause notice to the vice-chancellor. The university’s syndicate during the two terms of his forced leave had held four meetings during which the asset distribution had been accorded approval.

However, Dr Iftikhar challenged the legal status of the three meetings -- 107th, 109th and 110th -- of the syndicate. All those meetings had been called and presided over by Dr Masroor, vice-chancellor agriculture university, who was holding the additional charge of Gomal University in the absence of Dr Iftikhar.

The vice-chancellor claimed that all the proceedings of the four meetings of the university syndicate were unlawful. The Peshawar High Court had directed the provincial government to refer matters pertaining to the asset distribution to the university syndicate.

The government has been claiming that the decisions regarding asset distribution had been taken by the university syndicate and verified in its three successive meetings, while the vice-chancellor has termed all the proceedings of the syndicate as unlawful and without legal authority.

The situation has now taken a much more serious turn. The students launched a protest drive and the PTI leaders were supporting the protesters. The threats given to the vice-chancellor by the PTI leader were the most serious development.