PESHAWAR, May 5:  In the wake of precarious security situation, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa home department has asked vice-chancellors of all the universities in the province to avoid receiving any foreigner on their campuses without proper clearance/security cover from the provincial government during their movement in order to avoid any untoward incident.

According to a press release here on Sunday, the Provincial Home and Tribal Affairs Department has asked the secretary higher education department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to ask all the vice-chancellors of both public and private sector universities to abide by this decision.

It is stated that the department had earlier issued detailed instructions in the shape of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to all the public and private sector universities in the province and bounded the university administrations that while they were arranging visits/stay programmes of foreigners pertaining to their education and other allied activities, the vice-chancellors may inform the home department well in advance and share their schedule of visits/activities.

It said that this was essential for providing proper security cover to the visiting foreigners, which was primary responsibility of the provincial government.

It was stated that the SOPs were issued on May 9, 2012 with the proper approval of the provincial governor, who was also holding the portfolio of chancellor of all the universities.

Those SOPs were followed by identical instructions on Sept 10, 2012, which had not been adhered to in letter and spirit by various public and private universities’ administrations.