PU students, teachers at loggerheads, again

Around 3, 000 students from the Punjab University (PU) on Monday demanded the dismissal of the PU teaches who are observing an academic boycott and condemned the Punjab chief minister for not taking notice of the affairs at the PU.
The students said the teachers had announced the week-long boycott to service their vested interests, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday.
The students demanded that after the dismissal of these teachers, the CM should take legal action against the corrupt elements responsible for the academic boycott, saying that the same elements had forced the students to come out on to the roads for protesting against the Punjab government last week. The students were angry at the PU administration and its Academic Staff Association (PUASA) over the announcement of their academic boycott and that the CM take stern action against the teachers misusing the platform of the varsity.
Students from 72 departments of the varsity said the current ASA had converted the PU into a Taliban stronghold. They said the dirty politics had not been observed in the past and that students had been deprived of proper education.
They added that the recent incidents were a slap on the face of the Punjab government which claimed good governance in the province.
The ASA and a group of teachers had announced in its general body meeting that the faculty would boycott the classes till this Thursday. The teachers had also observed a three-day strike last week which left the students begging the teachers to continue the classes.
The teachers said they were boycotting the classes after IJT activists misbehaved with some teachers during the recent protests. However, the IJT activists rubbished the reports, saying it was propaganda against them to stop them from raising their voices against the murder of their worker Awais Aqeel.
The IJT had alleged that the PU administration, especially PUCIT Principal Dr Mansoor Sarwer was responsible for the murder. The PU administration had claimed that Dr Mansoor has not a link to the crime which they said was a result of the IJT’s internal disputes.
Last week the IJT activists had protested on the Mall Road against the killing of Awais. The police arrested a number of IJT activists after it raided the varsity hostels.
Adding to the already tense situation is the fact that the varsity has been closed since the past week as the teachers boycott the classes. Many PU teachers are opposing the boycott.
Boycott solely for political motives: Former PUASA and Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) President Dr Mumtaz Salik said the PU’s teachers who are sincere to the institute are not in the favour of the boycott, which he said was just for political motives.
He stated that it was dishonesty that the students were deprived o education. He said he opposed the boycott, saying that a majority of teachers were involved in the boycott.
Other PU teaches also criticised the boycott and demanded the LHC to take sue motto over the issue. A PU professor, seeking anonymity said this had happened for the first time in the tenure of Shahbaz Sharif.
The PU students said the Punjab CM should take notice of the situation and take stern action against the boycotting teachers, even replacing the administration if necessary. They said the government should stop the salaries of the teachers who are not attending the classes.