Female student quits varsity over harassment

The Sindh Assembly Opposition Leader Haleem Adil Sheikh on Sunday blamed the Sindh government for failing to provide security to female students of higher education institutions.

He visited the residence of Sindh University's student Almas Bhan, who quit her studies due to alleged harassment, and expressed solidarity with her and her family. "She belongs to a respected and educated family and that stopped attending the university due to fear," he said while talking to the media. He censured the varsity's administration for trying to push the matter under the rug by instituting an administrative inquiry instead of helping the victim register FIR against the culprits.

He said the student's parents have reservations against the inquiry. Bhan reiterated that some men riding on motorbikes intercepted her when she was on her way to the hostel, slapped her face and asked her to remove the veil.

"It seems that the lives and honour of the nation's daughters aren't safe in the universities," Sheikh observed.

Referring to the DNA reports of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana's students Dr Namarta Kumari and Dr Nousheen Shah, who were found dead in their hostel rooms, he said the revelation is alarming. He said according to the DNA report, there was a match in the male DNA which was found in the samples of both the deceased students who allegedly committed suicide in a gap of over two years.

The Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf's leader appealed to the Chief Justice Sindh High Court to take sou moto notice of these rising incidents of violence and harassment against female students in higher education institutions.

"The lives of citizens and honour of our daughters isn't safe in Sindh; five persons of Bhand community were murdered [over a land dispute] in Nawabshah; children are dying in Thar; students are not getting textbooks in schools; and medicines are unavailable at public hospitals. Yet the Pakistan Peoples Party wants to lead a long march to Islamabad against PTI's government," he observed.