‘He resigns or we kill ourselves’

The students of Quaid-e-Azam Medical college (QMC) continue their protest against principal Prof Ejaz Shah.

BAHAWALPUR: The students of Quaid-e-Azam Medical college (QMC) continued their protest against principal Prof Ejaz Shah for the 28th day today and demanded his resignation.

The students boycotted the college examinations, which have now been postponed indefinitely. Over 200 students protested and blocked the Circular Road for several hours after the QMC academic council expelled 31 students on charges of ‘violating discipline and flouting college rules’. “These expulsions were justified as the students also damaged college property and incited other students to do so,” said a college official, who wished to remain anonymous.

The students have demanded the resignation of the college principal and his immediate staff and many have threatened to commit suicide if the principal does not tender his resignation within the month. On Friday, the QMC academic council expelled 31 students from the college and these students include three foreign students namely Ethiopia’s Jalal-ud-Din, Sudan’s Hafiz Muhammad Yousaf and Zakiya Shakoori.

As students began to protest the expulsion police forces cordoned off the college premises but made sure not to engage with the protesting students. “We have vowed to kill ourselves if he doesn’t resign. This principal has no care for the rights or welfare of his students,” said a protesting student Zulfiqar.

Police were allegedly instructed to arrest the protesting students but several officials stated that they had not received any such orders from their headquarters.
At Nishtar Medical College the People’s Students Federation has also demanded that the QMC administration revoke the students’ expulsions. According to officials, principal Syed Ejaz Shah called a meeting of the academic council and expelled 13 female students and 2 male students in the morning and other expulsions followed throughout the day. Five more students were expelled from the college hostel. According to the notification the female students include Nosheen, Qudsia Tehseen, Asma Malik, Aiman Musa, Ayesha Noreen, Komal Altaf, Sadia Chushti, Nazia Rafiq, Mamoona Komal, Faiza Arif, Niba Akhtar, Filza, Sadia Noor. Male students include Khawar Ali and Safdar. The academic council has also recommended sending foreign students Jalal Hussain, Hafiz Yousuf Muhammad and Zakia back to their homes.

The protesting students have demanded that the government remove the principal from his post and that the students’ expulsions and ‘fake FIRs’ registered against them be revoked as soon as possible. Protestors said that their parents were being threatened through letters sent by the administration. They vowed that their protest would continue until the removal of the principal.

“They have been sending our families threatening messages to try to keep us all quiet,” said expelled student Safdar.

According to a media correspondent from Multan, PSF office bearers Rana Waqas, Monis Raza, Mujahid, Shakeel Chahchar, Mohsin, Hasan, Muzamil at a presss conference said that medical students across the Punjab should protest against the atrocities against the QMC students.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2010.