Public Indecency: Viral videos of party on IBA campus spark outrage

Videos of a dance party organised at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) by students, identifying as homosexual, have spread like wildfire on social media, leading to an outcry by the alumni and administration alike.

The videos circulating on popular social media platforms show several scantily dressed students dancing on the main campus of IBA Karachi at the Karachi University. The party being portrayed as a homosexuality event has led to an utter rebuke by the IBA faculty and has angered the faculty and student population who have termed it as indecent and against social norms.

The staff and alumni in response to the videos have sent a number of emails, copies of which are available with the Express Tribune, to the IBA administration - condemning the party and stating that they want strict action taken on the issue. One email states: "Recent actions by students are not only violating cultural and religious values, but they are also a violation of our national laws. Even Western universities do not allow the use of alcohol and drugs on the university buses or in the classrooms."

It is worth mentioning that the party continued despite the presence of the IBA campus security. Yet, the administration remained silent on the matter which has raised many questions by the faculty like whether the current management of the IBA under the leadership of Dr Akbar Zaidi agrees with the values being promoted by the party hence, it was allowed to be held on campus.

Similarly, a viral social media post by an IBA alumnus targeting the university’s Director and Registrar states: "Obscenity in the IBA should be eliminated. IBA should be treated professionally like an educational institution and students should be restrained from spreading this obscenity. The minority should not be allowed to influence the majority. This kind of sexually deviant behaviour is unacceptable in the IBA."

The Express Tribune also learnt that in recent times many from the IBA faculty have raised concerns against the rapidly changing environment on campus, non-compliance of university dress code, and frequent indecent acts via emails. However, the administration has turned a blind eye to all such complaints. An email sent to the administration by a concerned faculty member reads: “We have serious concerns about the issue of public displays of affection (PDA) at the IBA. There is a big difference between the past and present IBA in terms of student ethics and the behaviour is extremely confusing. Alumni and the industry are experiencing this negative change. All of this is destroying the IBA's identity and the IBA will have to pay the price for this silence.”

One of the faculty members who wrote a heated email to the administration, while talking to the Express Tribune under the condition of anonymity, said that such indecent acts are against the core values of the IBA. “We emailed the administration in the hope that they would take immediate action on such a sensitive matter. In reply, they said that a committee has been formed to investigate the issue. However, we have not seen anything practically happening. This is not Europe where we can treat the IBA as a nightclub,” the irate faculty member said.

Whereas, university spokesperson, Ayesha Javed, informed the Express Tribune that the management has already taken notice of the issue and the highlighted case is with the Student Conduct Committee for its consideration and action.