KARACHI: Student groups given three days to close offices
KARACHI, May 4: The vice-chancellors of public and private varsities, principals of colleges and heads of law enforcing agencies at a meeting on Thursday issued a three-day ultimatum to student organizations to close down their offices and remove party flags, banners, posters and boards from educational institutes.
The meeting, headed by the Sindh Home Minister, Rauf Siddiqui, warned that after the expiry of the deadline, varsity and college administrations would be compelled to remove all kinds of political advertisement material in collaboration with the police and the Rangers.
It was further decided that students without proper identity cards and uniforms would not be allowed to enter educational institutes while nobody would be allowed to carry even licensed weapons inside colleges and varsities.
The meeting also decided that no one other than students would be allowed to stay in hostels while entry of students would be thoroughly checked at gates of all educational institutes where the police and Rangers would assist college and varsity administrations.
The heads of educational institutes and law enforcers further decided to take strict disciplinary action against any student found interrupting academic and teaching activities.
They also decided to hold regular parent-teacher meetings to strengthen academic activities at educational institutes.
It was also decided to constitute committees comprising heads of educational institutes, teachers, parents and students to take immediate action and measures in case of any untoward incident at educational campuses.
The meeting further stressed complete implementation of code of conduct and strict disciplinary action against teachers and non-teaching staff in case they showed partiality and favoured any student organization.
It was decided that VCs, principals and other participants of Thursday's meeting would meet again next month to review the law and order situation at educational institutes and the result of steps decided in this meeting.
During the meeting, VCs freely expressed their grievances and gave suggestions regarding improvement in the law and order situation at campuses.
They called for strict measures to check and stop the entry of outsiders and miscreants into educational institutes.
They stressed the need for making collaborative efforts by the government, administrations of educational institutes, teachers, parents and students and called for promotion of extracurricular activities to engage students in healthy and constructive activities.
Participants of the meeting included VC of Karachi University Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, VC NED University Engr Abul Kalam, VC Federal Urdu University Dr Iqbal Mohsin, VC Dow University Dr Masood Hamid, VC Sir Syed University Z A Nizami and Principal of the Sindh Medical College Tariq Sharafat Ullah.
Besides, DG Rangers Sindh Maj-Gen Javed Zia, IG Police Sindh Jahangir Mirza, Special Secretary Home Rasheed Alam, CCPO Karachi Niaz Siddiqui, Additional IG Special Branch Fayyaz Ali Khan, DIG Operations Karachi Mushtaq Shah and TPOs of several towns also attended the meeting.—PPI
