ISLAMABAD: All suspended academic activities are likely to commence at the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) from Friday as negotiations are underway between the protesting students and the district administration.
According to well-placed sources, in the wake of a call for negotiation by local administration, the protesting students of QAU expressed their willingness to call off the 16-day long strike, provided the university administration withdrew the notification regarding 10 per cent hike in fees.
Sources said that the Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mushtaq Ahmed, Islamabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sajid Kiyani and Superintendent of Police (SP) Sadar Hassam, held initial negotiations with the protesting students to find ways to amicably solve the issue.
However, the Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Balighur Rehman later reached the university unannounced to ensure that the issue was settled once and for all.
The sources further said that during the meeting, the students were assured that the notification pertaining to fee hike would be approved in the syndicate meeting of the university, after which the students agreed that they would end their protest after a decision was reached on Friday (today).
It merits mention here that after the breakthrough in talks with the students, the district administration and the police deferred the possible operation planned to be conducted inside QAU against agitating students. Nevertheless, it was decided that those students whose arrest warrants were issued should be rounded up immediately.
Earlier, Federal Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal took notice of the suspension of academic activities in QAU on the request of Balighur Rehman, and directed the district administration to cleanse the university of extremist elements and ensure resumption of academic activities from Friday.
According to sources, a meeting was later held under the chairmanship of QAU vice chancellor (VC), which was also attended by senior faculty members, to ponder over the situation arising out of the interior minister’s order to crackdown against the protesting students.
On the other hand, QAU Academic Staff Association President Muhammad Ishtiaq and heads of other associations, during a press conference, held the vice chancellor responsible for the whole saga. They said that most of the demands put forward by students were justified, but the issue went from bad to worse due to the incompetency of the vice chancellor.
While leveling serious allegations against the VC, members of academic associations said that he did not resign, even though they wrote about his incompetency and nepotism to the pro-chancellor, Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Balighur Rehman, and Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed. They alleged that while most universities in the country were expanding, the QAU was shrinking since the VC was closing down departments and selling the varsity’s land.
They were of the view that the solution to this problem was not a police operation but the removal of the vice chancellor from his post, which would improve conditions inside the university.
It is important to mention here that on Wednesday, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training took notice of the closure of the university for 15 days due to strikes called by various student bodies. Second phase of the negotiations would be held between the students and local administration on Friday (today), after which a clear picture regarding the situation would emerge.