LAHORE: The Academic Staff Association (ASA) of Government College University (GCU) Lahore on Monday demanded the judiciary and government to impose a condition of court orders for teachers’ arrest, stating that nations which did not respect its teaching fraternity ultimately ended up in moral, economic and sociological decadence.
Addressing a meeting of academic staff at the varsity’s Main Block, GCU ASA President Prof Dr Hamid Mukhtar said that under no circumstances, a law enforcement or investigation agency should be given the authority to handcuff or torture a teacher.
Later, the ASA staged a peaceful protest on campus against presenting senior academicians, including former Punjab University (PU) vice chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, handcuffed before an accountability court.
Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah also joined the protest on ASA’s request to express solidarity with his teaching fraternity.
A large number of teachers and members of GCU ASA executive-body were also present.
It merits a mention here that National Accountancy Bureau (NAB) personnel produced Kamran, former PU registrars Prof Dr Raas Masood and Prof Dr Liaqat Ali and former additional registrars Prof Dr Aurangzaib Alamgir and Prof Dr Kamran Abid handcuffed before the court last week.
Lawyers of the arrested professors lodged a strong protest with the court against the NAB for producing their clients handcuffed. They complained that the same NAB produced former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif before the same court without handcuffs.
The lawyers refused to assist the court proceedings unless handcuffs of the arrested teachers were removed. However, accountability judge Syed Najamul Hassan said the court did not order the anti-graft watchdog to put handcuffs on the accused persons.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar also took a notice of the incident and directed the NAB director general of Lahore and DIG Operations to appear in court in this regard.
