KARACHI: Alarmed over reports of a university student’s involvement in the attack on the leader of the opposition in Sindh Assembly on Eid day, two major public sector varsities in the city held meetings on Tuesday to brainstorm ideas on how to check trends of extremism and militancy in students.
All deans of Karachi University as well as university syndicate and academic council members attended the meeting that was chaired by the varsity’s Vice Chancellor Prof Mohammad Ajmal Khan. A similar discussion was held at the NED University of Engineering and Technology. The meeting of NED faculty was chaired by VC Prof Sarosh H. Lodi.
Sources said the participants shared concerns over reports that the mastermind of the attack on Khwaja Izharul Hasan, opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, was a KU student who was on the run following the attack.
“Everybody was visibly concerned over the report that they believed has damaged the university’s reputation,” a senior teacher who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity. The teachers found the issue very challenging given the many gaps in security apparatus and the way Pakistani society was functioning, he added.
“The participants realised that there is a big question mark over their capacity, the ability of our law enforcement agencies as well as how serious the government is in addressing this problem,” he said.
The sources said some of the suggestions discussed during the two-hour deliberations included students’ clearance from police before their admission and registration of an FIR if any student was found guilty of submitting fake documents. However, some teachers said that police verification wouldn’t be fruitful given the low credibility of police department, said another teacher.
Source: Dawn
