Suicide attempt saves the day for LCWU employees

The Lahore College for Women University (LCWU) administration vowed to negotiate with varsity employees between BPS-1 to 16 after an employee tried to commit suicide by jumping from the radio tower at the varsity campus on Wednesday. The varsity employees, who had been on strike for three days, announced to end it as, the VC promised to entertain their issues. On Wednesday morning, a bus driver of LCWU, Ijaz Ahmed, climbed onto the radio tower of the Mass Communication Department’s radio station and threatened to jump from the top. The warning forced Vice-Chancellor Dr Sabiha Mansoor to reach the spot while a large number of faculty members and students also gathered there. After the scene was aired on TV and high-ups of the education department got to know about it, an official from the CM Secretariat and Additional Secretary of Higher Education Department (HED) Zaraq Mirza also reached the spot and tried to resolve the matter.
All Pakistan Clerk Association (APCA) LCWU chapter office-bearers contacted Ijaz and requested him to come down but he refused. The VC tried to speak to Ijaz through the loud speaker requesting him to come down but he refused. When some employees tried to climb up to rescue him he bowed down to jump forcing them to come down. The additional secretary, VC, senior faculty members and APCA representatives held negotiations and the VC agreed to entertain demands of the employees. After successful negotiations, Ijaz came down from the tower.
When asked why he had climbed onto the tower to commit suicide he said, “Last night, Transport Officer Shahid telephoned me and said that I had been fired for doing politics. I said I wasn’t the only one protesting but he said my daughter who is a student at LCWU would also be expelled from the college and threatened to get an FIR registered against me for doing politics in the university. I was so depressed and decided to commit suicide”.
APCA LCWU chapter Vice-President Pervaiz Barkat, talking to journalists said, “We came to the university late on Wednesday otherwise this incident might not have happened. Ijaz was alone and very depressed and decided to commit suicide. Had we been there we would have asked him not to do anything stupid and rendered our support to him”. He said the employees had ended the strike as their demands regarding GP fund, group insurance and old age benefit had been accepted and a notification would be issued today (Thursday).
The LCWU spokesman said, “The VC has announced that no political body will be allowed and their demands will be entertained on merit at the forum headed by senior faculty member Sherien Asad. The employees will nominate their four representatives for talks”.