LAHORE: The activists of Islami Jamiat-Taliba (IJT) are roaming freely in Punjab University for over a week even after beating and manhandling a senior faculty member, Pakistan Today has observed.
According to the details, an assistant professor Dr Sardar Asghar Iqbal hailing from the Kashmir Studies Department was beaten up by some activists of IJT on November 21 when he was sitting in his office at the Oriental College.
Dr Iqbal has maintained in his application written to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr Zafar Moeen Nasar, that some 10 to 15 students of IJT came to his office along with the university’s IJT Nazim Usama Ijaz and hostel number 15 Nazim Muhammad Irfan and started beating him.
“They gave me life threats and said that my dead body would be sent to Kashmir while also threatening to assault my children and wife,” Dr Iqbal said in his application available with Pakistan Today.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Dr Iqbal said that he ordered to remove the illegal banners and posters of IJT from hostel number 15 on November 8 as he was the superintendent of the hostel and also because of the directive from Chairman Hall Council Abid Hussain Chaudhry to do so.
“The goons of IJT pressurized the VC and chairman hall council to take action against. Both of them succumbed to their pressure and the irony is that a fact-finding committee was constituted against me instead of taking any disciplinary action against the activists of IJT,” he lamented.
Dr Iqbal also raised reservations on the members of the fact-finding committee and alleged that all the members have a soft corner for the IJT as evident from their past actions.
One member of the fact-finding committee Institute of Islamic Studies Professor Dr Tahira Basaharat is the sister-in-law of Jamaat-e-Islami’s Secretary General Liaqat Baloch while the other two members Professor Dr Javed Iqbal Qazi and Professor Dr Khalid Hussain have also been associated with the IJT in the past.
“We have called the meeting of the executive council of Academic Staff Association (ASA) on Thursday while the general body meeting of the ASA would be held next week to formulate our strategy to deal with the matter,” Dr Iqbal said, who is also the Punjab University Academic Staff Association Vice President
Meanwhile, President of Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA), Dr Kaleem Ullah, also condemned the unfortunate incident of beating up a senior office bearer of PU ASA and demanded the authorities to take action against the culprits with immediate effect.
It is worth mentioning here that several incidents of scuffles between IJT and senior faculty members have been reported while IJT was also seen attacking other student organizations of the university including Baloch and Pakhtun student organizations since the incumbent VC took the reins of the university in December 2016.
As many as 15 Pakhtun students got injured when a group of IJT students attacked them during the Pakhtun Cultural Day in March 2017.
When contacted, IJT spokesman from PU Taimoor Khan said that there is no truth in the allegations of Dr Iqbal and that IJT is approaching the court against him as he has levelled baseless allegations on the IJT. He was of the view that Dr Iqbal must present the proofs of assault on him by showing us the footages of CCTV cameras installed in his office.
Meanwhile, PU spokesperson told Pakistan Today that the university administration has forwarded the application of Dr Iqbal to the concerned police station while adding that another application would also be forwarded in few days since the administration has asked Dr Iqbal to write another application as some points were missing in his previous application.
“The university administration would thoroughly probe the issue and such activities would not be tolerated at all and the culprits would definitely be booked,” the spokesperson said.