The long line of troubling incidents at the University of Karachi (KU) extended further after it was revealed that two of its officials may have been involved in target killing in the city, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Per details, two of KU Engineering Department officials, Muhammad Danish and Umair Ameen, have been absent from their offices since the start of the Karachi operation. They have both been absent for the last two years.
While KU Chief Engineer Sohail Ahmed Siddiqui denied the reports that the two employees had been absent, Pakistan Today interviewed the Engineering Department colleagues of Muhammad Danish and Umair Ameen. The colleagues as well as their immediate boss said the two employees had not been attending office for a long time.
The colleagues said that Umair Ameen was taken into custody by paramilitary Rangers, but he was released later. According to them, Umair did not come to the university after his release.
“Umair Ameen sends a leave application every month and this has been going on for the last two years,” his boss said but added that he did not know if the two had been drawing salaries or not.
When Umair’s prior arrest by the Rangers was investigated, it was revealed that a team of the paramilitary force raided the varsity’s non-teaching staffers’ residence and picked up Umair along with another man, Sunil. However, both detained KU employees were release later.
Umair’s younger brother Zeeshan Amin was taken into custody by the Rangers in a raid on April 15. Zeeshan had earlier been detained by Rangers along with Muttaheda Qaumi Movement (MQM) Unit Scheme-33 and three other MQM workers on May 20, 2015, but he was released along with other detainees after 15 days.
Sindh Rangers spokesman Major Sibtain, when reached for comments, said that he had no information regarding the prior arrest of Umair Ameen by the paramilitary force. He said he needed more time to look into the matter.
Mobina Town police station Investigation Officers (IO) Ayub when contacted to find out what crimes the two KU officials had been implicated in, said the two had committed murders outside the university and that they had been using their office as a safe haven.
Ayub said that Karachi Port Trust (KPT) sent Umair Ameen’s name for verification. He said that he informed the KU officials that Umair was also an employee of KPT and was, therefore, drawing multiple salaries. Ayub said he had no idea if the university officials took any action against him or not.
KU Registrar Moazzam Ali Khan said that the two Engineering Department officials are not ghost employees but that they have been absent from their posts for the last two years. The registrar said that he had investigated and found out that both Muhammad Danish and Umair Ameen had indeed been employees of KPT also and, therefore, had been drawing multiple salaries.
Earlier, a KU security guard, Muhammad Javed alias Javed Mohajir, was picked-up by Rangers for his alleged involvement in May 12 incidents of violence and bloodshed in the city. However, the paramilitary force released him after a year-long investigation. A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed to investigate Javed’s involvement in various incidents of killing on May 12. But, after his release, he was allowed to rejoin the university after a two-year absence.
KU Advisor to Vice Chancellor (VC) on Security Affairs Prof Dr Khalid Iraqi, when approached for comments, said he had no information to share regarding Danish and Umair. However, he said that he had sent the file for the dismissal of Muhammad Javed alias Javed Mohajir to the registrar.
