Public sector universities observe Black Day

Condemn the manner in which former PU VC was presented before an accountability court

LAHORE:  

Public sector universities across the country observed a Black Day and launched rallies on Monday.

This was in reaction to former Punjab University (PU) vice chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran and other officials being presented before an accountability court in handcuffs and chains.

The Black Day announced by the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA). In addition to this, the Academic Staff Associations (ASA) at other public sector universities held meetings and rallies.

Academic activities at various universities were suspended, while teachers and students joined protests and rallies to chant slogans against National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials. Teachers’ communities also held general body meetings to condemn the incident and demanded that the responsible NAB officials be suspended. Further, security at universities was also tightened due to dissenting teachers and students. Low attendance was also reported at these universities.

In Lahore, the ASA held a general body meeting which was supervised by FAPUASA President Dr Mahboob Hussain and Punjab University ASA Secretary General Dr Sardar Asghar. Deans, directors, heads of departments and administrative officials from several universities attended the meeting.

Teachers’ groups were wearing black armbands on the occasion. After the general body meeting, the teachers held a rally where they held banners and chanted slogans.

“The entire world is criticising the manner in which the teachers were presented before the court. No criminal has ever been brought to the court in this manner. This incident has damaged the dignity and the respect of the teachers’ community,” expressed FAPUASA President Dr Mahboob Hussain.

“We demand that NAB’s senior officials resign immediately. Further, Prime Minister Imran Khan should take notice of the matter and address our concerns. We will soon frame our strategy; we cannot allow anyone to insult our teachers,” he maintained.

However, not all teachers were on board. Some of them opposed observing a Black Day and suspending academic activities. In their view, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar took notice of the incident and summoned NAB DG Saleem Shehzad to offer an apology.