ISLAMABAD: The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) on Wednesday voiced strong reservations over the continued victimisation and termination of teachers in International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI) and threatened country-wide protests if their concerns were not addressed at the earliest.
In a letter addressed to the IUII president, FAPUASA President Dr Mahboob Hussain said that the news of the termination of two professors was disturbing and disappointing for the academic community all over Pakistan.
“The academic community has taken these incidents very seriously given that the constitutional guarantees/protections given in the Constitution of Pakistan have been violated. The termination, therefore, can be termed as illegal, arbitrary and without any authority,” he wrote.
“The federation members will meet with the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan who happens to be the chancellor of your university, as well as the Federal Minister of Education Shafqat Mahmood and Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairman within a few days to intervene and resolve the matter amicably with the concerned authorities because the termination of university teachers in such a way is not at all acceptable,” he added.
The letter further reads: “We, the representatives of the teaching faculty at federation level, felt and shared with great concern, the grief and trouble that the family members, students and colleagues of those worthy professors are experiencing.”
He said that the act seems like thorough victimisation of respected members of the teaching fraternity. “Universities are supposed to be centres of sharing ideas and it is expected that a difference of opinion must be respected whereas, faculty members must not be harassed on fake grounds,” he concluded.
The issue of the termination of two professors had not been settled amicably when another teacher’s termination at IIUI emerged, wherein the services of Professor Dr Mushtaq Khan were ended.