The employees of the University of Karachi (KU) have announced a pen-down strike and staging a protest outside the administration block on Thursday (today) after a lower-grade employee was injured during another clash between two students organisations on Wednesday.
In a clash between the All Pakistan Muttahida Students Organisation (APMSO) and the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), Waheed and Shahid were injured.
Waheed is a lower-grade employee of KU Protocol and Information Centre, whereas Shahid is a student at the Department of General History as well as an activist of the APMSO.
KU Security Adviser Khalid Iraqi said that activists of the APMSO and the IJT were at each other’s throats after an exchange of heated words.
He said that Shahid was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, whereas Waheed returned to his house after receiving treatment.
Some students had tried to close the offices and stop the classes, but the Rangers arrived on the scene and brought the situation under control, he added. Iraqi said that the classes of the evening programme in many departments were held as per schedule, but some other departments could not conduct classes due to tension at the premises. He said that some unidentified students also forcibly closed shops at the varsity in protest against their associate’s injury, but they were reopened by night, adding that the Rangers would be patrolling the varsity on Thursday to avert any unwanted situation.
Saghir, an official of the KU Employees Welfare Association, said that the varsity’s lower-grade employees between Basic Pay Scale 1 and 16 would observe a pen-down strike on Thursday in protest of Waheed’s injury.
He said that they would also stage a demonstration outside the administration block and the strike would continue until the administration takes action against the students involved in the incident.
A KU spokesperson said that the academic activities at the varsity would be carried out as usual on Thursday.
“I am unaware of the lower-grade employees’ protest, but the varsity will remain open and operate as usual on Thursday,” added the spokesperson.