April 15, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1429

KARACHI, April 14: The vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi, Dr Pirzada Qasim, has lauded the joint efforts of various students’ organisations and the faculty members in maintaining peace on the campus.

He was speaking at meeting convened on Monday to review the overall law and order situation on the campus. Dr Pirzada said that alternative security measures also came under discussion during the meeting, which was attended by the deans of different KU faculties and office-bearers of the Karachi University Teachers’ Society.

The vice-chancellor, however, stressed the need for the presence of the law-enforcement agencies on the campus to control any untoward incident.

Dr Pirzada maintained that there had been no discussion scheduled with the Rangers high-up on the issue.

He said that the Sindh governor, who is also the chancellor of the university, had been briefed about the overall issue. “The governor had asked us to go ahead with our own security plans but keeping the existing one intact”, he said.

Interestingly, the general secretary of KUTS, Dr Abid Hasnain, refused to agree with the contents of the statements issued by the public relations department stating that the teachers and the administration unanimously feel the need for Rangers’ deployment at the university and consider it inevitable.

However, the Rangers spokesman refused to comment on the situation.