KARACHI: Karachi University was partially evacuated on Wednesday after police received reports of three bombs on campus, DawnNews reported, but was declared clear after a sweep by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS).

Police control received reports of the bombs on their emergency 15 number, after which the BDS was called in to secure the university, police sources said.

Superintendent Police (SP) Gulshan Farhad Ahmad said police were alerted about a bomb targeting a book fair at the gymnasium hall. The BDS, after checking the hall, said it was clear.

Areas surrounding the building are also being checked for bombs, he said, adding that those spreading misinformation will be found.

Also read: Parks vacated after bomb scare in Karachi

Meanwhile, a number of students and faculty members, who requested anonymity, told DawnNews that educational activities at the university were not affected by the reports.

Security concerns at KU

After the attack on Charsadda's Bacha Khan University earlier this year, educational institutions across the country have been on high alert.

However, an inspection of KU's boundary wall, spread over 1,350 acres, has shown that the structure has completely fallen in least at two places. The space created by the fallen wall is sufficient enough for a large truck to pass through. The point is found to be used as a waste dumping ground by people living in the neighbourhood.

At other points, the height of the wall is as low as five feet. Besides, the wall has also developed big holes. Huge bushes, a large number of commercial nurseries and car repair workshops along the boundary wall are some other security risks the campus faces.

According to sources, the administration had in January failed to take any concrete measure to improve campus security even after the Army Public School tragedy and the targeted killing of two KU teachers despite the fact that it received Rs300 million from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) during the past year to improve campus security but failed to utilise it.

The sources said an inspector of the KU watch and guard department had earlier complained about the broken boundary in writing in August 2015 but no action was taken.

The KU administration inefficiency, sources said, could also be gauged from the fact that the university had yet to release the Rs70,000 that had been requested six months ago by its own department for building the boundary wall of the foreign students’ hostel.

The installation of surveillance cameras has also been pending for the past seven months.

Currently more than 27,000 students are enrolled with the KU while the number of teaching and non-teaching staff is over 4,000.

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