Reopening Of Universities On Peshawar University A Tough Ask

Peshawar: The administration is finding it hard to reopen the universities on the Peshawar University campus, closed on March 19, mainly due to the support of teachers affiliated with political parties to their respective student wings, security officials claimed.


"Teachers' associations in all the four universities use students as shields and have a major role in flaring up protests and violence on the campus," they claimed. According to them, more than 90 per cent of the 816 teachers of these universities were believed to be apolitical but were 'used' by the 10 per cent of their colleagues affiliated with different political parties.

"In some cases, like the death of the UET's student (Adnan), the teachers (affiliated with the Jamaat-i-Islami) are supporting the IJT, nine activists of which have been nominated in the FIR," police sources said.

They said the teachers and students affiliated with political parties were well-connected and they could take out processions at their will anytime. "It is difficult for about 300 campus policemen to control the situation because they have to perform duties at 12 checkpoints", they said.

The University of Peshawar has seen several violent protests but it was the second time that a student was killed. Two years ago, a student from Chitral was shot dead by unidentified people near Hostel 2.

"Adnan's killing was a glaring example of vendetta by activists of the IJT, who want to enforce their own brand of Islam on the students," said a senior professor, who observed that political parties were responsible for the unrest on the campus.

The University of Peshawar has enrolment of 12,000 students, NWFP Agricultural University 11,000 students, UET 8,000 students and the Islamia College University (Chartered) has 3,400 students. Of the total 34,400 students, about 15,000 reside in 37 hostels.

"Now, the four universities have remained closed for 11 days since the death of the student. A meeting scheduled for Thursday to decide about the reopening of the universities is unlikely to take the risk of opening the varsities that can pave the way for more bloodshed," a security official said.

The day the student died, enraged activists of the Pakhtun Students Federation (PkSF) set on fire four rooms of IJT activists in Hostel 6 and 7 of the Agricultural University. Police had detained more than 50 students on complaint of the provosts and wardens of the two hostels.

"The students were released when the registrar of the Agricultural University rushed to the Police Lines. This embarrassed the provosts and wardens who resigned from their posts," he said. Some students were rusticated but it proved to be eyewash as these students were at the campus the very next day.

Now, only foreign students, girls and those belonging to tribal and other far-flung areas have been accommodated in three hostels while thousands of others have gone to their villages.

The governor's inspection team, which has initiated an inquiry into the death of Adnan, will present its report at the vice-chancellors' meeting to be held under the governor and there is no likelihood of early reopening of the universities.

Security agencies have informed the universities that these institutions could be reopened amid tight security only when all the people responsible for Adnan's murder were arrested. "Otherwise, opening the universities at this stage will infuriate the students," security officials said.