18 January 2004	Sunday	25 Ziqa'ad 1424

KARACHI, Jan 17: A student of the Government College for Commerce and Economics died on Saturday as a result of a clash between two student groups near the college on Ziauddin Ahmed Road.

The student, Shahid Aziz, got shot and was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre where he breathed his last.

"We have arrested nine students of S.M. Arts and Commerce College and Urdu Arts College. They are affiliated with the Pakhtoon Students Federation (PSF)", Saddar Town police officer Dr Sanaullah Abbasi told Dawn.

"We found five empty shells of a TT pistol's bullets near the PIDC bridge as the incident took place near the bridge and not at the college gate", a senior police official said.

He said police had been deployed at the entrances of the Government College for Commerce and policemen were also present inside the college to meet any eventuality.

The official said two student groups - the PSF and Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) - clashed near the PIDC bridge. "One group apparently fired at the opponents and Shahid suffered a bullet to his head", he added.

Those arrested included Ahsan Kohati, PSF president at Urdu Arts College, and Suleman, PSF general secretary at SM Arts College, police added.

Following the incident, students belonging to the IJT thronged to the JPMC and a crowd gathered in the hospital's premises. Heavy deployment of police and Rangers were made to maintain law and order. The students raised slogans and demanded arrests of those responsible for the incident.

Advisor to CM on Home Affairs, Aftab Shaikh, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, Provincial Education Minister Irfanullah Marwat and other officials of the home and education departments visited the hospital.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued from the Sindh information department, Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Mutawakkil Kazi expressed grief over the incident and directed the secretary education to hold an inquiry into the incident and report to him within 24 hours.

He also directed the home and education departments to jointly formulate an effective strategy for creating a peaceful environment in educational institutions.

Following the firing and the resultant death the Government College of Commerce and Economics has been closed for Monday.

Principal of the college, Prof M. Aslam Khan, told Dawn on Saturday that classes at the college were suspended immediately after the incident and under the directives of the DO colleges, the college had been closed for one day, ie Monday.

The college, located in one of the areas considered highly secured, has about 2,000 female and 3,500 male students in two shifts. At present admissions for degree classes are in progress there.

The principal, who was also injured by armed attackers belonging to a student group in August last year, said a request for deployment of Rangers at the college had been rejected. "We were told by the Rangers highups that their deployment at the college was not possible", he said.

To a question he said that after hearing of the incident he came out of the college and the policemen deployed there told him they had brought in a student laying unconscious on the road after being shot. "By the time I reached there the student had been shifted to the hospital by police", he added.

A source in the college said the incident was a result of another clash between the two groups that took place a few days back at S.M Arts and Commerce College.

The worsening law and order situation at different educational institutions including the University of Karachi has been a source of concern for the authorities for the past one week.

On January 14, following a clash between the IJT and the APMSO, police arrested about 35 activists from both sides. Some college principals, including the principal of the Government Science and Commerce College, have requested for deployment of Rangers at their institutions for security reasons.

EDO Education Prof Rais Alvi said that despite correspondences with the authorities concerned he had not been able to get Rangers personnel deployed at some sensitive colleges.

PSF: A local leader of the Pakhtoon Students Federation, identifying himself as Abbas Khan, said there had been tension for some days between the IJT and the PSF, but the IJT worker had not died due to any firing from the PSF side.

"The injury to the deceased may have been caused by the IJT workers since the firing was not a one-sided affair, it was cross firing", he said and added that till the evening four PSF workers had been arrested by police from their houses which, he said, was unjustified.

IJT: A spokesman for the Islami Jamiat Talaba said the burial of the deceased student, Muhammad Shahid, would be held after Zuhr prayers on Sunday. The funeral prayers would be held at Masjid-i-Quba, Hub Naval Colony.

The IJT Karachi office-bearers have condemned the incident and said the Sindh government had failed to ensure protection to the lives of students at educational institution.