PU expels 13 IJT, 4 Pashtun-Baloch students in first phase

LAHORE: Taking a stern action against the students involved in affecting the law and order situation on campus on January 22, the Punjab University administration has expelled 13 students belonging to the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) and 4 students belonging to the Pashtun-Baloch organisations during the first phase of disciplinary action. The disciplinary committee has also initiated the second phase of enquiry while issuing notices to 30 more students on the basis of the shreds of evidence being collected.

It is pertinent to mention here that this is for the first time in the recent history of the Punjab University that students involved in causing unrest on campus are being served with such a major penalty – expulsion from the varsity.

On the instructions of PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Zakria Zakar, the Disciplinary Committee consisting of senior professors has maintained high standards of justice, objectivity and fair play. The decision in the first phase of the enquiry is based on foolproof pieces of evidence corroborated by many types of material which include the recording of surveillance cameras, eyewitnesses, documentary records, etc.

The expelled students belonging to the IJT are Osama Ejaz, Muneeb Farooq, Rahat Ali, Sikandar Kakar, Muhammad Uneeb Afzal, Ahmed Zakriya, Abdul Baseer, Osama Bin Shafaat, Hidayatullah, Samiullah Khan, Zeeshan Ashraf, Mian Arsalan and Arifur Rehman.

The expelled students belonging to Pashtun/Baloch organisations are Asfand Yar, Alamgeer Khan, Naeem Wazir and Paiuddin Khan, while their 6 students who were rusticated include Muazam Ali Shah, Maqbool Lehri, Salman Wazir, Salman Ahmed, Waris Khan and Ashraf Khan. A warning was also issued to one student namely Ahmed Khan.

It may be noted that expulsion means now the student cannot ever get admission in any department of the university, while rustication is for one year.

Penalties of Rs10,000 (ten thousand) with three months probation was also served to five students including Ajab Khan, Abbas, Abdul Salam, Dolat Khan and Rehan Khan. Two ex-students Bilal Ahmed and Dawood Khan, one each from both sides, were declared persona non grata by the disciplinary committee. The committee has also banned the entry of expelled and rusticated students to the varsity.

The PU spokesperson said that some of the students produced fabricated documents before the disciplinary committee to avoid action. However, they were shown pieces of evidence regarding their involvement in the incident.

Out of the 34 students who were issued notices in the first phase only three students — Shahid Nawaz, Ahmed Junaid and Muaz Ahmed — were exonerated since their involvement in the clash could not be established through the available shreds of evidence. The spokesperson also said the committee has observed extreme cautions so that no student who was not involved in the incident, is harmed.

He said the administration has also provided the involved students with an opportunity, as per the university calendar, to file an appeal against the decision of the disciplinary committee within fifteen days to the vice chancellor. The PU spokesman said that the administration was committed not to tolerate any pressure from any student organisation, and warned that any students, who would resort to any unlawful reaction against the decision of the committee, would be dealt with a disciplinary action as per the law since the inquiry in the same incident is in the second phase to take a disciplinary action against more students who would be found guilty.

He also said that the administration is making all-out efforts to ensure peace, tranquillity and rule of law on campus and any effort to sabotage the peaceful academic environment will be dealt with an iron hand. No leniency, he said, would be shown to any deviant student.