March 31, 2008	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 22, 1429

KARACHI, March 30: Deploy-ment of Rangers or law-enforcers at any educational institution can never be termed a welcome move on the part of the government. It may, however, deem it inevitable in certain cases and take the bitter pill.

Unfortunately, Rangers and other law-enforcers deployed at various educational institutions to control the ‘law and order’ situation is a common sight in our country.

Same is the case with one of the largest universities of Pakistan, University of Karachi, where Rangers were deployed some 20 years ago to ensure law and order on the campus.

However, the effectiveness of their deployment has become questionable on a number of occasions over the years.

According to sources in the KU, when the Rangers were given the charge to maintain peace on the campus, they were provided with accommodation in what used to be hostels whereas their officer or the commandant was given a separate house (C-19) on the campus.

Apart from this, another house on the campus, B-24, has been a bone of contention between the KU administration and the Rangers for the last 15 to 16 years.

Sources said that initially the Rangers had requested accommodation in the house (B-24) for a few months in 1992, as it was lying vacant then.

But the occupation of house has been stretched from a few months to more than a decade.

A KU official who requested anonymity said that the university administration had finally decided to raise the issue with the commandant of the force stationed on the campus.

He informed Dawn that in 2007 a meeting was held between the KU administration and the Rangers high-ups to discuss the issue.

It was decided that the house would be vacated within three months, he said, adding that the deadline, however, expired in October or November 2007 but the place was yet to be vacated.

When Colonel Iftekhar, overlooking the Rangers at the KU and himself living on the campus, was approached to have his take on the issue, he even denied knowledge of any such issue.

However, the university administration and well-informed sources stress that the Rangers official is fully aware of the entire issue.

Interestingly, a high-ranking Rangers official, not posted at the KU, who wished not to be named, said: “The officer living in the controversial house (B-24) has not been asked by the Rangers to live there and has got nothing to do with the force. In order to vacate the house, the university administration should ask him on its own.”

On the contrary, he admitted that the house had been given to the Rangers by the university administration on their own and they had not asked for it. “The house may be vacated when the officer residing there will be posted out I guess”, he said. However, DG Rangers was not available for comments on the issue.

The pro-vice-chancellor of the KU, Dr Ikhlaq Ahmed, was of the view that the house would be vacated only when the officer living there would be posted elsewhere.

Referring to the meeting held last year to discuss the issue with the Rangers, he said the matter was brought to the attention of Colonel Iftekhar and other relevant officials.

However, he also believes that it is something that the university administration has to look into and sort it out on its own.

The convener of the House Allotment Committee, Prof Abuzar Wajidi, who was also present at the meeting, said that the KU had agreed to provide with accommodation only to the commandant.

He said that it would be better if the house was vacated so as to make room for the KU faculty members.

Dr Wajidi clarified his position that as the convener of the House Allotment Committee he had been empowered to allot houses to teachers and other staff but not to have them vacated.

The secretary of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS), Dr Abid Hasnain, said that it was not only the KU, where the Rangers had got hold of the house, the Shaikh Zayed University was also facing similar problems.

He said that the KUTS had raised the issue last year and discussed the matter with the pro-vice-chancellor.

After detailed discussion, it was agreed to pursue the matter, he added.

“The Rangers officials were asked to take part in the discussion over the matter but they simply denied having anything to do with it”.

Dr Hasnain said that the commandant was of the view that it had nothing to the wing deployed on the campus therefore they could not prove to be of any assistance.

“Officers come and go, but the house is never given back. It is used as an annexe by them and their officers posted anywhere in the city come and live here till the time they want to,” he said.

Interestingly, though many people have condemned the Rangers’ occupation of the house but were afraid to say anything fearing harassment either by the university administration or by the Rangers.

However, the question remains as to when the house will be handed back to the university administration which has been occupied by the Rangers without any significant reason.