Punjab University (PU) students and teaching community strongly criticised Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shahbaz Shrif for having a soft corner for the Islami Jamiat Taliba (IJT), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. The criticism came after two university students were roughed up by the IJT activists outside the university’s vice chancellor’s office. Infuriated teachers and students of the varsity told Pakistan Today that the Punjab government in general and the chief minister in particular should not be pro-IJT and warned they would launch a long march against Sharifs if the CM failed to take action against the highhandedness of the IJT activists on the campus. They demanded a disciplinary action against the organisation.
Earlier on Tuesday, some of the IJT activist forced two students to hold their ears through their legs as the university’s security staff looked on with apathy. Reportedly, a group of IJT activists from the Statistics and Mathematics departments approached two male students who were sitting in lawn outside the VC office and beat them up. Their female classmates were seen crying during the hooliganism on the campus, student told this scribe. The protesting students said that Punjab CM Punjab had never been supportive to the current VC in putting an end to what they said “the hooliganism of IJT”. They said the CM was rather trying to appoint a “Pro-IJT” VC.
The manhandling of the boys did not end there, as later on the IJT activists forcibly took them to one of hostels and even the PU security officials were unable to tell about their whereabouts and plight.
Almost all the students seeking anonymity said the IJT activists were “controlled by” a bearded man called Nazim Sahib (the organiser).
The students and teachers complained that it was the chief minister who had allowed the IJT to hold their congregation at the varsity. They said the CM did that “despite knowing that the same organisation was promoting violence and extremism on the campus”.
A female student of the Economics Department said that by resorting to violence, the IJT members were doing disservice to the very Islam they claimed to uphold.
A PU professor said that enough was enough because even the security staff of the varsity seemed helpless before “those miscreants.” He said the activists had piled up weapons at the varsity hostels and they won’t even shrink from beating up teachers. He said it was a rumor that a pro-IJT teacher might be appointed as the VC. “And if it turns out to be true, it would be a complete disaster for the academic environment of the varsity,” he observed.
He said Professor Dr Mujahid Kamran did his best to curb “their hooliganism” but the CM’s tacit support was hindering the VC’s efforts.
He said it was a national tragedy that despite tall claims of fighting against extremism, the state was tolerating the same to thrive in the varsities.
PU’s Chief Security Officer Muhammad Shaukat said the IJT activists responsible for Tuesday’s incident included Atif Gujjar, Haris and three of their unidentified associates. Both the parties had fled from the scene when I reached there,” he added.
IJT’s PU chapter head, Zubair Safdar, when contacted, said he was out of city at the time of the incident so he was unable to comment on the issue. He said had it been an issue of “that great significance”, he would have been informed about that. PU Resident Officer Dr Javaid Sami said it is an uncalled for aggression and that the authority would investigate the matter sooner.
