Showing himself as an agent of a spy agency, a 45-year-old man, who was enrolled in Karachi University (KU) Department of Urdu for third regular degree, made teachers hostage to get his illegal demands accepted, it has been reliably learnt.
Muhammad Zamir Siddiqui, son of Muhammad Idrees Siddiqui, is currently student of Department of Urdu. Earlier, he got two Masters’ degrees from Department of Criminology and Centre of Excellence for Women Studies. As per KU law, a candidate, who had got degree in any department of the varsity regularly, he/she can not be enrolled in any of the department of KU for the second degree.
However, Zamir has already got two degrees from the varsity and now he is student of MA in Department of Urdu. But how Zamir got two Masters’ degrees and currently studying for another degree in Department of Urdu is an open question for the varsity administration. The 45-year-old called himself the agent of a local intelligence agency and he frequently visited the administration block and had close relationship with some of the officers in KU’s management offices. On the basis of information given by the KU officials, he blackmailed teachers to award him good marks so that he could pass the semester exams. Some of the varsity’s top officials also considered him as a spy agent and they could not dare to refuse him whatever he demanded from them. This is the only reason that Zamir got two regular Masters’ degrees from KU and enrolled for another one in Department of Urdu. Interestingly, Faculty of Arts Dean Prof Dr Zaffar Iqbal, who belongs to Urdu department, has allowed Zameer Siddiqui for enrolment in department for third degree.
An official of the KU enrolment section, who wished not to be named, confirmed that Zameer had already got two Masters degrees in Criminology and Women Studies. As per record of the enrolment section, Muhammad Zameer Siddiqui was first enrolled in Criminology for Masters in evening programme in 2008. His registration number was ART/CRI/EP-13183/2008. He completed his Masters degree in Criminology in 2010. Then, he was enrolled in KU again for Masters in Women Studies in evening in 2010 and his enrolment number was ART/WSC/EP-19307/2010.
He got Masters’ degrees in Criminology and Women Studies by blackmailing teachers of the department to get maximum scores in the semester exams. In Urdu department, he also tried to adopt the same pattern, but this time a blind lecturer of the department refused to accept his illegal demands. When the said lecturer refused his unlawful demands, he started blackmailing him. He exposed himself as agent of the intelligence agency and warned him of dire consequences. The administration of the department instead of making hue and cry over blackmailing of Zameer, pressed the blind lecturer to keep his lips tight to avoid any confrontation.
Muhammad Sajid Khan, Lecturer of Urdu department narrated his story as under: “I was teaching course No. 541 in Urdu department and Muhammad Zamir Siddiqui was my student. He used to come to my office and share with me secrets of other students. One day, I asked him about his source and he told me that he is agent of the spy agency and he was deployed in the varsity for intelligence sharing. Few days before the semester exams, he requested me to share with him the questions which would be asked in paper. I turned down his illegal request and since then he started blackmailing to me,” he added.
“Sometimes he punctured my car’s wheel, sometimes he broke windscreen of my vehicle and sometimes he put glue in locks of my room in the department. A night before exam, he called me and adopted a very rude behavior by asking me about the question paper but I again refused him. During the exam, he went out of the centre for washroom and did not come back even after half an hour. I went behind him with my colleagues and we saw he was copying matter in the answer script while sitting in his car. After passing one hour, he came back in the centre and took out copied answer script from his shirt. When we saw the answer script, the first and last pages of the copy were unwritten while the rest of pages of script were filled with answers,” the teacher narrated.
“With the help of assistant, I checked his copy. The answers written in script were not those which were asked in the question paper. I informed chairperson of the department about this matter and wrote an application against him but the chairperson refused to receive the complaint. After passing few days, I was collecting assignments from students when he came into my room and forced me to receive his assignment first. I turned down his request. He turned down angry and attacked me. I asked the chairperson to call Rangers as he threatened me of dire consequences and left the room, but the chairperson did not listen to me and directed me to keep my lips tight over this issue.”
“But I decided to raise voice against blackmailing of Zameer and wrote letters to the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS), Student Advisor and Campus Security Officer. On this, Dr Tanzeem-ul Firdaus, the acting chairperson of the department called a meeting and formed a three-member committee. The chairperson was heading the committee and Dr Rauf Parikh and Dr Zulqarnain Ahmed were nominated as its members. The committee has yet to resolve this dispute due to fear of the student who shows himself the agent of a spy agency.”
“As I announced result, the said student made hue and cry over his marks and filed application to the chairperson. The chairperson retaliated and ordered me to submit result of course No. 541 along with answer sheets. As per KU law, if any student has objection over the marking, he should file an application with the dean. The dean forwarded the application to the chairperson. The copy of the said student was reassessed but the chairperson directed me to submit the results and answer scripts of all students, which is unlawful,” he concluded.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Dean Faculty of Arts Prof Dr Zaffar Iqbal said he had received application of Muhammad Zamir Siddiqui for reassessment of his results. I accepted his application of recheck and directed the chairperson to form a committee of three senior most teachers of the department to assess the complainant’s copy separately. The average marks given by all the three teachers would be calculated and it would be final result, he added. When he how did the spy student get admission third regular degree, the dean replied that he had no idea when the KU banned more then one regular Master degrees.
When contacted, KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser was shocked. How it is possible that a student has been enrolled in the varsity for third regular degree despite academic council’s decision that no one could be allowed to get admission for another Masters degree. “I also have no idea about highhandedness of teachers by an intelligence agent. I will look in this matter and take action against the people involved after exhaustive investigation,” he assured.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Spokesman Major Waheed told Pakistan Today he had confirmed that they had no such operative in the KU. “I had confirmed from the department concerned and they verified that they do not have their operative namely Muhammad Zameer Siddiqui in the KU”, he said. He requested the varsity administration to contact local police for legal action against the said student.
