LAHORE, April 6: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday suspended a Punjab University directive to the Hamdard University to shut down its campus established in the federal capital. The suspension was ordered on a writ petition filed by the Hamdard University challenging PU jurisdiction over federal territory.

Barrister Syed Ali Zafar submitted that the Hamdard University was registered in Karachi and had established its campus in the federal territory, Islamabad. The Punjab University had directed it to shut down its campus on the ground that it had been established without its prior approval.

He said the Punjab University claimed to have jurisdiction over all the universities and campuses in the province, including Islamabad. He prayed for setting aside the Punjab University order as Islamabad was a federal territory and outside its jurisdiction.

Punjab University counsel argued that the university had jurisdiction over Islamabad despite being a federal territory because it was situated in the Punjab.