- Source claims APMSO activist refused to end protest against Jamiat activists unless VC accepted their demands
Further investigation into an alleged attack by Islami Jamiat Talba (IJT) activists on the participants of a mixed gender cricket match in the University of Karachi (KU) last week has revealed that All Pakistan Muttahida Student Organisation (APMSO) was tasked to politicise this incident as much as possible, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Two boys and three girls, who were playing cricket together in KU, were reportedly injured when a group of IJT activists attacked them last Wednesday.
A KU official, who wished not to be named, told Pakistan Today that APMSO was tasked by the MQM Rabita Committee to fan anger amongst the varsity graduates against IJT parent organisation Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) by politicising the incident.
“Some varsity girls planned a protest demonstration backed by APMSO, Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) and Punjabi Student Association (PSA) to condemn the attack on Monday,” the official said.
“The varsity higher-ups tried to defuse the heat through negotiations, but a student called Faisal, who claimed to be the APMSO coordinator, told the campus officials that they have been tasked to launch a protest campaign on this issue by the Rabita Committee,” the official added.
He further claimed that KU Student Adviser Prof Dr Ansar Rizvi accepted all demands to end the protest and avoid any emergent situation on campus.
“When Faisal refused to end the protest on verbal assurances, the student advisor took him to the vice-chancellor who agreed to accept the student outfit’s demands in a bid to end the protests,” the official claimed.
“We have decided that if APMSO won’t postpone the protest campaign, then we will take up this issue with the MQM Coordination Committee, and request them not to use KU’s turf for political purpose,” the varsity official claimed.
A KU guard, Pyar Ali, told Pakistan Today that guards have been deployed at two sites in the campus where anti-IJT student organisations planned cricket matches on Monday.
“We have been directed to allow girls to hold a cricket match there, and provide maximum security to them,” he added.
“We spent the whole day on our assigned workplaces, but no match was played after the negotiations between student organisations and the management,” he maintained.
When KU VC Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser was asked about a possible conspiracy behind the varsity’s skirmish, he refused to comment.
MQM Coordination Committee member Ameen-ul Haque was approached for comments on the matter. He said that he would respond on this issue after confirmation; however, a reply from him did not arrive until the time this report was filed.
Separately, two of the three girls who were reportedly injured in alleged attack, have changed their statements, and claimed that they were not even touch by Jamiat activists during the attack.
KU Student Advisor Prof Dr Ansar Rizvi has claimed that three girls, who belongs to the biochemistry and commerce departments respectively, were beaten by Jamiat activist during the attack.
Talking to Pakistan Today, biochemistry department student Sana Javed, who was reportedly beaten-up by Jamiat activists, said that she had not even touch by IJT activists during the attack.
“We were playing cricket when IJT activists arrived there and attacked male participants of the match,” Sana claimed, adding, “One of our female friends got injured because of a broken piece of a bat, which an IJT activist broke in anger.”
She claimed that she is attending classes regularly, and she has not been threatened by anyone to change her statement.
When the student advisor was approached for comments, he claimed that he personally visited the spot, and met with the victims.
“The girls claimed that they were also beaten-up by Jamiat activists when they tried to save the boys, and I wrote their names, details and statements myself,” he maintained.