Punjab University officials have called for a greater police presence on campus following clashes between Baloch and Pashtun students on one side and the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) on the other.
The groups clashed last week and the Baloch and Pashtun students held a lengthy demonstration outside the New Campus.
The two sides have reached a temporary ceasefire, but the university administration has already sent out letters to Punjab government officials, including the chief minister, bemoaning a lack of law enforcement personnel at their disposal.
“We have no agency at our disposal to enforce law and order on the campus in situations like the one which took place in the past week,” said PU Additional Registrar Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir.
He said the university’s guards did not have the authority to use force against students. “If a student is hurt in the process, a legal process is initiated against the guard,” he said. He added that some 30 police officials patrolled the campus, but they were useless, “especially when there’s no one around to give them orders”.
PU police post SHO Sheikh Hammad said that the police had controlled the law and order situation after the clashes. He said that they were always open to requests for help to maintain security on campus.
The university administration says some 100 police officials were sent to the campus for security during the clashes.
The university has expelled more than 100 students in the past five years, mostly for disturbing law and order, said the additional registrar. He added that there were some 50 current students “actively involved” in law and order disturbances on the campus, most of whom were with the IJT.
While the IJT said that their nazim had been attacked in a hostel by Pashtun and Baloch students, the latter said that they were being attacked and threatened by members of the IJT.
The students reached a temporary resolution in talks also involving police officials and leaders of the Jamaat-i-Islami, of which IJT is the student wing. The two sides agreed that students involved in the recent clashes would not enter the hostels till after Eid.
Pashtun students said they needed more security. A member of the Pashtun group said on the condition of anonymity that there were close to 120 students who felt under threat from the IJT. He said no other student group on campus had a political affiliation. He said that a temporary truce had been reached.
IJT’s PU Secretary General Haris Saeed said that the university administration was biased. He said that their organisation had not initiated the violence last week. “Our members were attacked. Where was the police and the university administration then?” he said.
He said the issue at the moment had been settled. “All sides have come together and resolved to settle the matter,” he said. He added that it was the university administration’s responsibility to ensure law and order. He said that the IJT was willing to cooperate with the administration to improve security.
Dr Alamgir said the university is not a party to the current settlement. He said disciplinary action would be taken against the students involved in the clashes. “We will review the situation and ensure long term steps are taken to avoid similar situations on the campus,” he said.
He said that the heads of various departments and administration officials would meet after the Eid holidays to discuss the matter.
The situation at Punjab University has also attracted the attention of the intelligence agencies, one of which sent a report to the police and administration advising pre-emptive measures to resolve the situation.
The letter warned that tension between the IJT and Pashtun students was growing and could draw in other student groups. It urged the university administration and the police to monitor the situation closely. The intelligence agencies were also advised to monitor the situation and share information.
Additional reporting by Asad Kharal and Rameez Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, October 27th, 2012.
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IJT and the likes should be kicked out of all educational institutes. They work like thugs and create bad educational enviroment. The only purpose of such organistaions is only to create mega thugs and macho men to support political parties of all sorts!
Student unions should be combinition of University staff and students. The only purpose should be to help the students in need and quidance while they are at university. All student union in Pakistan education institutes only harras student and teachers by creating envrionment of fear!