Sindh University: Faculty members continue to demand VC’s resignation

Faculty members demand the Vice Chancellor to resign after Professor Channar was killed.

KARACHI: While Sindh University’s (SU) vice chancellor Dr Nazir Ahmed Mughal was talking about international peace and security, more than 100 academics had gathered outside the Avari Towers to protest against what they claimed was his inability to maintain law and order on campus.

All academic activities at the university remained suspended for the 19th day after a professor, Bashir Ahmed Channar, was shot dead on January 2. The protest was organised by SU’s teachers association. They had given Mughal an ultimatum and asked him to resign by January 11. The teachers association is supported by the University of Karachi, Federal Urdu University of Arts (FUUAST), Science and Technology and Shah Abdul Latif University in Khairpur.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the general secretary of the association, Dr Arfana Mallah said that they wanted the vice chancellor to be removed immediately, a judicial commission to investigate the murder, remove the police and Rangers from the campus and replace them with the university’s own security system. She said that they also wanted to restore the student unions.

According to Mallah, as an administrative head, Mughal should take responsibility for what happened. She said that classes were held for barely 15 days during a four month semester because of student clashes and protests. SU’s lecturer Ronaque Ali Behan said that Prof. Channar had informed Mughal that he had received death threats but was not given any security.

FUUAST’s international relations lecturer Faisal Javed said that it was ironic that Mughal was talking about global peace and security while his tenure as vice chancellor was marred with five murders on campus.

The protestors held placards and chanted slogans against Mughal. After two hours they marched towards Governor House and Karachi Press Club.