Gomal University left vulnerable: An ill-equipped force with much to reckon with

Guard says his rickety weapon cannot protect an entire side of campus

DI KHAN: Armed with a rickety non-automatic weapon and all of 10 bullets, Muhammad Kundi sits in a bunker made of sandbags on top of a room built on a tube well. It is hardly surprising the man is less than confident about performing his duty to guard an entire side of the city campus of Gomal University in DI Khan.

“I’m a retired army soldier and am capable of putting up a fight, but my gun cannot take on heavily-armed attackers,” Kundi said. “I need a Kalashnikov and at least seven magazines,” he said.

“I seldom find time to sit in the bunker. First, I alert passers-by with a whistle. If they do not stop, I come down and talk to anyone trying to enter via the broken boundary wall,” he added. Around a metre and a half of the boundary wall is missing from the area guarded by the poorly-armed man.

Kundi comes in at 4am and is on duty till the university closes for the day. He is the only man to deal with the people passing through the area at the time and has to be on the lookout for any possible threat.

“I am unhappy that such a huge responsibility is placed on my shoulders alone,” added the man. “I am a chowkidar and my duty is to just keep watch, but I am also the frontline of defence, “says the guard who is paid Rs11,000 a month to do all this. For extra income he drives a rickshaw through DI Khan city in the second half of the day.

Measures for later

“There  have been new security arrangements for the building and fencing on the boundary walls. We are making new defences in addition to getting automatic weapons,” revealed Shamroz Khan who is in charge of security at Gomal University City Campus.

“After meetings with the VC and district government, the city campus was given seven police personnel and its 19 security guards will be provided modern weapons,” Shamroz added.

“At least Rs120 million was demanded for security, but the university received only Rs25 million,” the security in charge said. He shared the administration was doing its best to overcome the shortage despite a lack of funds.



“Today when I enter a classroom, students first ask about security and then the discussion continues,” Zeeshan Qasim, an assistant professor in the mass communication department, told The Express Tribune.

“The [atmosphere at] university is not like it used to be. There is fear among students and attendance has gone down,” he shared. “Parents at times come along with the students. Their academic careers are being affected,” added Qasim.“A certain type of environment is needed so students can focus on their academics and careers,” he said. “The varsity opened for students after being closed for 27 days, but there is fear among students.”

Buckling under

Gomal University also faces several internal issues such as corruption and violation of merit.

Protests have taken place at the varsity after it was closed down, supposedly after a clash between students.

Till now, 23 students have been expelled from the university for protesting and another 200 had FIRs registered against them at Gomal police station in DI Khan.

Every now and then, police raids hostels and even homes of students who were booked for blocking the DI Khan-Multan highway on January 12.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th,  2016.