KU opens, bans student vehicles

Only students and faculty who can prove their ID are allowed to enter.

KARACHI: “It was like trying to get into the FBI headquarters,” said Arshad, an economics student at the University of Karachi, who went to campus on Wednesday but turned back when he saw the tight security arrangements.

A day after a low-intensity explosion near the main cafeteria located at the junction of the arts and science faculties, KU opened its doors — only slightly — to its students and staff.

“They [Rangers] did not even spare the teachers, who also had to show their ID and have their cars fully inspected before being allowed to enter,” the young man told The Express Tribune. Attendance remained low, either because people were scared or because Wednesday’s exams had been postponed. Many students either had to, or chose to, go back from the strictly guarded gates.

The three gates, Silver Jubilee, Masqan (IBA gate) and Residential, all had a heavy deployment of Rangers. No one was being permitted inside without complete identification and checking.

KU Registrar Prof Kaleem Raza Khan explained that the university has taken extra security measures and they were being implemented immediately. “Now only students can enter campus. Hopefully these plans will be implemented on a permanent basis,” he added. While students are still allowed to enter if they have their identity cards, their vehicles are absolutely forbidden.

All passes or vehicle stickers have been cancelled. This means that no student vehicle, neither a motorcycle nor a car, can now enter the university. Everybody has to park outside and walk to their departments on foot. Faculty members, however, can bring their cars inside.

“I would rather stay at home and study than go to the university and risk my life so soon after the attack,” said Sundus Rehman, who is studying botany. She said she did not go to the university because there was no exam.

Zakir Hussain, who was among the few students inside the campus on Wednesday, said that only those students who either belonged to student organisations or who had very important errands to complete had dared to come to the university.

He said that he had not seen such strictness in his four years at the university.

Arshad, however, believed these arrangements were neither extraordinary, nor very permanent. “All it takes is a week and a half for everything to dissolve and things go back to the same lawlessness,” he said.

Injured students

Zakir, who is also the information secretary of the KU Imamia Students Organisation unit, said that the students injured on Tuesday were much better.

Wajid Ali, the KU ISO general secretary, and Israr Hussain, a student of criminology in the evening programme, are still in Patel Hospital because their injuries were the worst.

The others, Irfan Ali, Haider, Abbas and Ali Haider, who sustained lesser injuries, have been discharged. They were private candidates of the university, Zakir informed.

ISO activists also organised a rally, which was addressed by Maulana Deedar Ali Shah and attended by quite a number of ISO members. Zakir said that their organisation had decided against observing any mourning so that the exams were not affected any more.

Meanwhile, a case against the bomb blast has been registered under the Explosives Act.

Exams on Dec 30

All the examinations at KU will resume from December 30 according to schedule, said a KU spokesman on Wednesday. Students appearing in the external examinations should bring their original admit cards and show them on demand.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2010.