Islamic varsity fiasco: Three officials suspended

Committee headed by the Rector along with FSC Justice Fida Muhammad Khan constituted. Will submit report in a month

The administration of Islamic International University Islamabad on Monday suspended three varsity officials for as many months amid fresh protests by members of Islami Jamiat-e-Talba (IJT) against the display of an Israeli stall at the Model United Nations event held at the varsity over the weekend.

A moot on international relations at IIUI turned into a fiasco over the weekend after a group of students, as part of their MUN activities, arranged a stall for the country they were representing — Israel.

A group of students objected to a stall set up by a team assigned to represent Israel at the ‘Global Village’ fair at the event after which things spiraled out of control.

The IIUI administration reacted strongly to the incident, issuing clarifications advocating their ‘anti-Israel’ stance and promising to come down hard on those responsible.

A three-month suspension notification of female students’ adviser Tasneem Fatima, IIUI Faculty of Management Sciences Dean Bashir Khan and research associate Afsheen Jalil was issued on Monday. Members of IJT started their rally at the varsity premises, led by the local leadership of the student wing carrying banners inscribed with slogans against Israel. The university’s rector, Masoom Yasinzai, said they have identified the female students who erected the stall and the dean has been suspended for his ‘careless oversight’.

He said a committee headed by him along with Federal Shariat Court Justice Fida Muhammad Khan has been constituted and will submit a report within a month. About the entire ruckus, Yasinzai said such events are held in other varsities but since it is a government sector institute, they cannot be seen to be against the identity of the Islamic university. When asked about the impending disciplinary action against the students, he said “Since it is the middle of the semester, we cannot take any decision until the final report comes.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2014.