October 16, 2003	Thursday	Sha'aban 19, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) administration has decided to partially open the campus from Thursday, sources told Dawn.

The sources said the university would only be opened for the students of PhD and MPhil programmes after two days closure following the killing of a history department student.

They said the decision had been taken by the QAU vice- chancellor, U.A.G. Isani, here on Wednesday after presiding over a high-level meeting of university officials. The vice-chancellor was abroad when this untoward incident took place, they added.

Meanwhile, the decision about the classes of MSc programmes would be taken on Monday after reviewing the prevailing conditions on the campus, the sources said.

The university has also decided to rusticate as many as 16 students on the basis of preliminary investigations and a meeting in this regard has been scheduled for Thursday, they added.

Likewise, the university has cancelled the incumbent hostel allotments in all four boys hostels and decided to make fresh allotments on the basis of a reviewed hostel admission policy.

The university was closed on October 13 when a student of history department, Naseeruddin, was killed as a result of firing between the Punjab and Pakhtoon councils, two students organizations.

The two organizations were at loggerheads since the opening of the university after summer vacations over petty issues which ultimately resulted in killing of the student from Loralai, Balochistan.

A senior university official, who also attended the meeting, told Dawn that the entire university administration was completely lost as over the last less than one year, four students had been killed in various incidents. Everybody in the administration has agreed in principle to strictly enforce the university rules, he added.

“Yes, it was the university faculty which over the years had been opposing the involvement of law enforcement agencies on the campus, however, after the latest killing everybody seemed willing to take steps to protect peaceful atmosphere of the university,” he said.

It may be added here that only during this summer vacations, university hostels have been renovated and the university has also deployed private security guards at the entry and exit points.

Students living in the hostels were issued special ID cards and an electronic gate was also installed at the joint entrance for security reasons.