- HEC’s grant for security, safety of universities yet to be used by any varsity surveyed
- Security staff not equipped to handle the task; security equipment is also either damaged or broken
An investigation into the security infrastructure of Karachi’s public sector universities revealed gaps and vulnerabilities, Pakistan Today has learnt.
A day-long visit of the city’s public sector varsities, which included two provincial sector and one federal sector institute, exposed the fragile security system in place. The investigation also revealed that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) allocated funds to public sector varsities for improving the security infrastructure after the attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School (APS), but the allocated fund was either misused or hasn’t been used as yet.
UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI:
The University of Karachi (KU) is assumed to be the city’s most highly-dependable public sector varsity where, according to a security official, more than 50,000 students and visitors enter the campus regularly. Spreading over 1200 acres of land, KU has 53 departments in his eight faculties and 20 research centres.
The varsity has four entry and exit points and three of them are monitored via six surveillance cameras. When visited, the security cameras, which were installed with an estimated cost of Rs 8,000,000 two years ago, were found to be out-of-order. The varsity has three walk-through gates that were installed in the administration block, but they all were either broken during student organisations’ protest or developed faults with time.
The varsity purchased weapons and trained some of its guards during 1996 when Dr Abdul Wahab was serving as a vice chancellor, but the weapon were never used till date. The varsity has 123 security guards and eight lady searchers, but most of them were declared unfit during a medical checkup in the recent past. Keeping this in view, the varsity issued a tender notice three months ago to hire the services of a private security firm to guard its gates and invited bids in this regard.
The varsity has received Rs 300 million from HEC to bring improvement in the fragile security infrastructure following APS attack, but the allocated fund was reportedly misused by the varsity’s high-ups. The varsity has chalked out a contingency plan following the APS attack, but the plan could not be materialised.
NED UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY:
Known as the Pakistan’s best engineering educational institute, NED University of Engineering and Technology is situated on University Road. The security situation is not much different than that at KU. The varsity has 7,000 students enrolled in its 25 departments.
The varsity has 102 security guards who work in two shifts. The security guards were seen unarmed. However, the guards deployed on the varsity gates were seen asking every visitor for their identification and purpose of visit before entrance into the campus. They were also asking the students for their university cards so that their identity could be proved.
But the varsity didn’t install security cameras and walk through gates on its entry or exit points. Like KU, NED University of Engineering and Technology also received Rs 150 million from HEC for security measures after APS attack, but the funds remain unused even now.
FEDERAL URDU UNIVERSITY OF ARTS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) has two campuses in the city. One is located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and the other one is situated in Saddar. The security situation of FUUAST is worse than KU and NED University of Engineering and Technology.
Paramilitary Rangers share security responsibilities with the varsity guards. Student organisations have challenged the varsity’s security several times and the campus management called the federal force to control the prevailing situation.
However, the terrorist attack on Charsadda Bacha Khan University has jolted the management of public sector varsities. The varsity managements have called meetings to address the weaknesses in their security infrastructure.
MOVING FORWARD:
K’s Acting Security Advisor Prof Dr Zulqarnain Ahmed accepted that the varsity has shortcomings in its security apparatus. He told this scribe that the varsity management has called a meeting and invited the officials of Law Enforcement Agencies to chalk out another contingency plan.
Verifying the above mentioned observations and facts, he said that the varsity needs 250 to 300 security guards to improve the security situation. He claimed that the varsity has 123 security guards and some of them have reached the retirement stage, while some others are suffering with disabilities.
Keeping this fact in view, he said that the varsity has decided to hire some security guards on contract basis. He maintained that the paramilitary Rangers are also performing security duties in the varsity and expressed a hope that the security situation would get better in the days to come.
NED University of Engineering and Technology Registrar Ghazanfar Hussain also admitted weaknesses in the varsity’s security infrastructure. He claimed that HEC’s Rs 150 million grant could not be used till now, but assured that it would be used to improve the security situation.
Discussing future strategy, the registrar said that the varsity has planned to utilise its workforce and to transfer some of its employees to the security department. He further said that the varsity has decided to purchase weapons and to train its guards for ensuring better protection inside the campus.
