Punjab Study

Lahore:February 05: Some Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) activists allegedly harassed the superintendent of the Punjab University’s Hostel No 1 and his family members by locking his house door from outside.

It is pertinent to mention that IJT members had found some rooms at the hostel, illegally occupied by their fellows, locked the other night.

The hostel superintendent Dr Munawar Sabir said that he had identified some eight rooms which were occupied by illegal occupants belonging to the IJT.

The superintendent told The News that the rooms were occupied by elements already expelled from the varsity. He added that he was preparing a comprehensive list but meanwhile the hostel warden had issued orders to double lock these rooms without his consent.

The morning after the rooms were locked, Dr Munawar said he had found himself locked in his own house, along with his mother. He accused the hostel warden of siding with Jamiat activists. He said he had also been threatened by an expelled Jamiat activist of dire consequences on Saturday morning for exposing the issue before media.

He said it was unfortunate that PU Academic Staff Association (ASA), a representative body of the varsity teachers, had so far not contacted him over the issue.

A PU teacher, seeking anonymity, said a number of expelled students, belonging to IJT, not only freely roamed around in the varsity campus premises but also were boarding at the hostels. The administration had become a silent spectator, he claimed, saying that some elements belonging to religious organizations were also residing at the hostels illegally, terming it a thing of great concern for the varsity’s faculty members. Meanwhile, a PU spokesman condemned the incident and said the administration would take disciplinary action against the illegal boarders in the hostels. He alleged that criminal elements were operating in the ranks of Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT). The administration, following its previous policies, would not allow these hooligans to disturb the peaceful academic environment of the varsity and would take disciplinary action against them, he added.

An emergency meeting of Executive Council of the Punjab University’s Teachers Front (PU-TF) was held here on Saturday, in which Syndicate members Prof Dr Shaukat Ali, assistant professor Javed Sami and lecturer Shumaila Gul participated, among others.

The meeting strongly denounced the incident and expressed solidarity with the faculty member. The participants demanded the Punjab government order police to launch operation with the help of university administration to oust rogue elements of Islami Jamiat Talaba so that students could continue their studies in a peaceful academic atmosphere.

The participants also demanded the university administration initiate legal action against the IJT activists.

However, PU chapter IJT’s spokesman Amir Yaqoob said no Jamiat activists was involved in the incident, adding all the students belonging to Jamiat were legal allotees at the varsity hostels.

He said the rooms inspected by Dr Munawar were not occupied by Jamiat members. He said the episode might be a reaction by boarding students whose rooms were locked at the hostel by the administration.The news.