A brawl erupted between faculty members of the Punjab University during a meeting of the varsity’s syndicate on Saturday.
According to details, the syndicate meeting was in progress when around 20 faculty members came to the vice chancellor’s office where the syndicate meeting was being held to convey their grievances to the members.
Soon after they came, as many as 80 members of the Academic Staff Association (ASA) also arrived at the VC’s office. Both sides engaged in a heated argument which eventually led to a brawl.
PU Academic Staff Association General Secretary Dr Mahboob Hussain told Pakistan Today that some elements came to disrupt the syndicate meeting but they failed to do so as the meeting continued according to schedule.
“They are not the representatives of the faculty as they were badly defeated in the recently held elections of the ASA by our group and their presence in the meeting is also questionable,” he said.
The issues of faculty members were lingering on for quite some time because the syndicate meeting was not held, he said, adding that he and his colleagues had come to the VC office to raise the issues of faculty members in front of the syndicate members.
According to Hussain, the next meeting of the syndicate will be held soon and all the issues of faculty will be resolved.
On the other hand, former PU Law College principal Samee Uzair Khan told Pakistan Today that he and his group members had intervened in the syndicate meeting “because Acting Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran is not entitled to take policy decisions”.
“The syndicate meeting was illegal and we came to the office to brief the syndicate members in this regard,” Khan said.
According to Uzair, ASA treasurer Naeemullah Khan lunged at Dr Naveed, a faculty member of the Law College, and beat him up badly. “We have filed an application with the Muslim Town police station against Naeemullah and the vice chancellor,” he said, stressing that the Lahore High Court (LHC) was due to hear their case on June 29, therefore holding a syndicate meeting before the court’s verdict is illegal.
PU spokesman Khurram Shahzad told Pakistan Today that the “agenda of opponents” was spoiled as the meeting was completed according to the schedule and the next syndicate meeting will be held on June 25.
“The petitions challenging the appointment of Mujahid Kamran were rejected by the LHC, and now they have resorted to such tactics,” he said.