Academic activities have been suspended at the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) after two student groups clashed on the campus last week, which left several students injured.
After the closure of the university and eviction of students from hostels, a 21-member committee has been set up by the QAU administration to thrash out a new set of rules and submit a report this week with recommendations and suggestions to improve the law-and-order situation on the university and avoid recurrence of violent incidents.
Sources said that the committee has recommended introducing a biometric system at all hostels and departments so that those with university cards will be allowed to enter the campus.
The committee has recommended further enhancing the university’s own internal security. It has also recommended demolishing dozens of huts established outside the main gate of the university and instead a food court should be introduced inside the university. The committee has recommended that people should be allowed to open a stall at the food court after collecting their complete data.
According to the sources, it has also been recommended to install CCTV cameras at the entrance doors and internal and external locations. It has also been recommended to build police pickets on the outer periphery of the university.
According to the sources, one of the committee members has suggested that the university restore the old MS, MPhil and PhD programmes and do away with BS programme. However, the proposal was turned down as it could have cost the university in financial terms as a large chunk of the fee was collected from BS students.
The members have also agreed to the proposal that only those students who have their biometric verification and university cards should be allowed to stay in hostels.
The committee members have further recommended that a complete record of all office bearers of the student councils should be compiled. All students should also be required to submit affidavits and their academic records will also be checked before giving them admissions.
The committee members have also suggested that merit should be ensured for admissions to MPhil and PhD programmes as merit was ignored in the past while giving admissions to doctoral programmes.
The sources said that the committee has recommended strict legal action against those involved in creating law and order and harming peace on the campus.
A proposal has also been made that the university administration with the support of the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration and Islamabad police should form a committee to hold a monthly meeting to evaluate the already taken measures to maintain the law and order and further make it more sustainable.
Earlier, the QAU administration, with the help of police, dislodged hundreds of students including females from various hostels and closed down the campus for two weeks. The move came after two student groups clashed on the campus, which left several students injured.
The QAU administration also cancelled the allotment of rooms and formed a 21-member committee to review the criteria for the re-allocation of rooms to the students.
The sources said that hostel residents, especially girls, most of them hail from various provinces, requested the QAU administration and the police to let them stay in hostels since they had no place to go, but their requests were turned down and their belongings were thrown out on the streets.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2023.
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