Protesters sit outside the administration block at QAU. PHOTO/ EXPRESS
The university asked the Islamabad Police and the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) to remove the protesters and restore academic activities. But the authorities appear reluctant to use force against protesting students.
Instead, the capital’s authorities have held several rounds of talks with the protesters, and want the university administration to accept students’ demands to bring the crisis to a peaceful conclusion.
However, the university management — led by its vice-chancellor (VC) — maintains that it does not have the power to undo the punishments since they had been ratified by the varsity’s syndicate, the university’s apex decision-making body appointed by the President of Pakistan.
Talking to The Express Tribune on Friday evening, QAU VC Dr Javed Ashraf said that they were still waiting to hear from the district administration on what was being done to reopen the university.
“We need their [district administration] help to restore academic activities,” he said.
However, he did not answer when asked what help the university had sought from the district authorities.
Moreover, Dr Ashraf sidestepped a question on whether the university had requested police to forcibly remove the protesters, adding instead that it was for the district administration to decide what should be done to resolve the issue.
While the VC has shown flexibility on most of the demands put forward by the protesters, he says he does not have the power to undo the punishments handed, rather the issue would be forwarded to the varsity’s syndicate — which is expected to meet next month.
The students, on the other hand, maintain that none of their demands have been accepted by the varsity’s administration thus far.
Meanwhile, the police and the ICT administration have said that they do not want another law and order situation brewing in the capital which is already reeling from political tension.
The varsity, which ranks among the top 500 universities in the world, has been shut since October 4 after the students blocked the main road and its main transport centre.
As many as eight students were expelled and around 18 others were rusticated for their part in on-campus clashes between two ethnic student groups in May. The violence had left several people injured and closed the university for days.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 14th, 2017.
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