Varsity blamed for student’s suicide

Father says son returned a broken man

LAHORE: Family and friends of a crestfallen UET student who committed suicide on Friday in Quetta have held the varsity responsible for his actions.

Arsalan Khan, an aspiring electrical engineer had joined the UET in 2009 after receiving a scholarship. The deceased had been struggling academically over the last six years. Khan’s father, Bashir Ahmed, said his son was a mild-mannered, humble and intelligent man. He said he had been struggling at the UET because of the system and the unreceptive attitude of his teachers.



Ahmed said his son had started at the varsity a few weeks late because of the lengthy process governing the awarding of scholarships. “He was not at fault but his instructors made sure he paid for arriving late,” Ahmed said. He said his son had ultimately managed to pass all subjects. However, Ahmed said, a concerted effort was made to ensure that he was not awarded a degree. The deceased’s father said his son had returned to Quetta a broken man. Khan’s friend Waleed Raza placed the onus of his death on his teachers. He said his friend had failed to obtain the CGPA required to pass by a nominal 0.02 points after years of effort. “Why was it not possible to award him a few grace marks,” Raza said. He said some teachers had taken it on themselves to make students’ lives hell.

UET Vice Chancellor Fazal Ahmad Khalid said a committee had been constituted to look into the issue. Khalid refused to comment on the claims aired by the deceased’s family and friends. “I will comment once the report of the committee has been submitted,” he said.

A class fellow of the deceased said the university had not taken Khan’s family and friends into confidence over the committee’s constitution. He demanded representation for the deceased’s family on the committee, saying they had the right to be made cognisant of what exactly transpired.



Sohail Qureshi of the varsity’s electrical engineering department, an erstwhile teacher of Khan’s, said lack of counselling and recurrent curriculum changes were to blame. “The pressures on students from the society, teachers, parents and peers leave them vulnerable,” Rukhsana Kausar of the PU’s Institute of Applied Psychology said. “Competition has become cut-throat. Those enrolled at prestigious institutions are most vulnerable. Those most under pressure ought to have access to counselling.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2016.