Law enforcement agencies are closely monitoring the Punjab University (PU) Residence Society and Jamia Mosque to keep a close eye on fundamental elements, which are reported to have been visiting the varsity to promote their banned literature, Pakistan Today has learnt. According to sources, some people inside the varsity are allegedly involved in supporting extremists. Last year, some people also supported extremists to sit in Aytkauf at the PU Jamia Mosque. According to PU sources, names of such people are also in knowledge of the law enforcement agencies, which include son of a Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) member, son of another PU faculty member and others, which deal with affairs of the mosque at PU and allegedly involved in supporting extremist activists at the campus. The law enforcement agencies are trying to find out that from which organisation these elements belong to, which are targeting students. They are also identifying people inside the PU, which are well-connected to such elements.
On the other hand, the PU hostel administration has totally failed to eradicate extremist literature from the varsity and according to law enforcement agencies, the hostel administration has a soft corner for such extremist elements and are hesitating to provide names of those elements, which are involved in criminal activities. An extremist group, having a soft corner for slain terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden, has advertised a competition to praise him. Advertisement of the competition is going on at full swing at the PU premises, especially boys’ hostels and the Student Teacher Centre, which houses offices of the PU Hall Council chairman and the student advisor. The PU administration, which was aware about such competitions, did not remove competition posters from hostels while law enforcement agencies have started to identify such elements, which are supporting organising such competitions and involved in promotion of extremist thoughts among the youth.
According to sources, law enforcement agencies are secretly focusing on the housing society where according to them, two places were identified where these elements often visit and are also observing PU hostels, where illegal people are residing. They said that people from Tribal Areas are also residing at varsity hostels and in the past, cases were also registered against such elements. According to sources, the PU Jamia Mosque is also a sensitive place where these elements gathered for Aytkauf last year. They said that it was also learnt that some PU faculty members, which are members of a religious group, which has a strong hold at the varsity, are supporting such elements. According to sources, law enforcement agencies are confused about status of the elements, which come at the varsity, as they are trying to find out whether they are those who have a link with a banned religious organisation or are coming from the Tribal Areas. They said that two faculty members from the Institute of Education and Research (IER) and Special Education Department also have a link with such extremists and law enforcement agencies are also checking their status.
According to sources, it is a tragedy that the PU comes in jurisdiction of the Muslim Town Police Station but high officials of these police stations have showed a poor performance while dealing with extremist elements at the PU. They said that in the past, a number of FIR’s were registered against some students, which are involved in extremist activities but the Muslim Town Police Station high-ups did not arrest a single man although around 150 such elements were identified by the varsity in the last three years. According to sources, policemen on secret duty at the PU, have also failed to identify extremist elements.
Another PU official said that after announcement of the Bin Laden competition, the whole PU community is concerned but the tragedy is that the PU Hall Council authorities are not bothering to consider the sensitivity of the issue. He said that even posters were not removed and such behaviour of the PU administration is commendable. The official said that weapons were recovered from these hostels in the past, including hand grenades and kalashnikovs, while the varsity administration also knows that torture cells were present in these hostels and a religious group, present at the varsity, brutally tortures innocent students. He said that the whole nation is criticising Pakistan on extremism and the Punjab CM claims that Punjab is not a place for such elements, but now extremists have entered the PU. The official demanded the CM to consider the issue and immediately inquire from the PU Hall Council chairman about extremist literature present in hostels.
PU Resident Officer (RO) Dr Javaid Sami said that they are also secretly monitoring elements involved in extremism and said that the administration is verifying and very soon will identify such elements. PU students, especially foreigners, fear promotion of Talibanisation at the varsity, as they were already suffering due to extremist policies of a religious student wing. According to students, how could anyone say that the varsity is free from Taliban, as local Taliban in shape of students, closed all canteens and fruit shops by force as soon as Azaan starts. They said that students were tortured on sitting with female class fellows and musical activities are banned in the varsity. Students said that a grand operation is required to eradicate local Taliban from the PU and a police check post be established in the varsity just like the one at the Forman Christian College (FCC).
They said that it is up to the CM to take a decision to eradicate local militants from the varsity otherwise the Bin Laden competition is a proof that varsity could become Waziristan in the future if the CM did not take any initiative at the right time.
Punjab University being watched for extremists
