LAHORE – A teachers’ group at the Punjab University condemned Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) President Maher Muhammad Saeed Akhtar for allegedly securing the corrupt varsity teachers involved in academic corruption. The group called the Teachers’ Front (TF) alleged that Maher’s son was involved in ‘illegal’ activities at the varsity while Maher supported IJT activists and got them illegally admitted in the varsity.
They also alleged that Maher supported the people behind vehicle theft at the varsity. The group circulated a pamphlet in the varsity which alleged that Maher was black mailing the PU administration for getting ‘favours’, had not only threatened the varsity teachers but also backed the activists involved in giving life threats to PU teachers.
STANDING BY PU VC: The protests against PUASA have started to take an upward shift in the varsity, while PUASA has also announced for an anti-VC movement. Around three hundred varsity teachers called on PU VC Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran and assured him that they will support him to counter the PUASA propaganda.
A teacher from PU TF, seeking anonymity, said majority of PU teachers were supporters of PU VC and will stand against PUASA members, who threatened to launch an anti-VC movement. He said it was ‘shameful’ that Maher never raised his voice against the corruptions by Dr Ahsan Akhtar Naz. He questioned at the ‘pro-IJT directors’ torture on students’ and also termed the teachers blackmailing the VC as ‘gangsters’.
THE PAMPHLET: According to PU sources PUASA was black mailing PU VC to secure the allegedly ‘corrupt’ group members and also grant promotions to a few. A circular in this connection was distributed on Sunday in various teachers’ homes and varsity which states the history of current PUASA members was full of crimes and these members were doing such activities that were spoiling PU’s image in the international world.
It further said that in the previous VC’s era of an army background, these members were habitual of getting their illegal demands met but now a VC from a non-army background was not complying to their demands.
THE INSIDE PUASA: Current PUASA body is a combination of two opposite groups that have a history of ideological differences. One is Tanzeem-e-Asataza, a body of teachers comprised of pro-JI and pro-IJT teachers, and the other is Academic Forum, a group comprised of teachers having leftist agenda. Academic Forum contested elections against TF last year and won, after which they gathered against the PU administration.
PU sources said that Tanzeem-e-Asataza was trying to secure PU Institute of Communication (ICS) Director Dr Ahsan Akhtar Naz, while the leftists were trying to secure Professor Dr Iftikhar Ahmad Baloch, who allegedly sexually harassed his colleagues.
