PESHAWAR, Oct 23: After waiting for more than 43 days for the government to recover Ajmal Khan, the kidnapped vice-chancellor of Islamia College University, teachers have decided to go on hunger strike for the safe recovery of the educationist.

“The family and the teachers are desperate for the safe and early recovery of the vice-chancellor. Desperate times call for desperate measures,” said Prof Fida Mohammad, president of Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association.

He said that a recent meeting of teachers of all the public sector universities and class-IV employees decided to first go on hunger strike and then adopt stricter ways of protest to spur government into to action for recovery of Ajmal Khan and his driver, who were kidnapped on September 7 by unidentified persons.

There were speculations that Ajmal Khan was in custody of the militants as was shown in a video released on Oct 14 by his captors. He was feared to have been abducted by Taliban since he is cousin of the ruling Awami National Party president Asfandyar Wali Khan.

Prof Fida said that teachers felt insecure and helpless to some extent as they kept quiet so as to give time to government to recover Mr Khan safe and sound but it had not worked.

The family of the abducted vice-chancellor got assurance from Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti once. “We are on it,” he had told his family.

“However, Governor Owaise Ahmed Ghani, the chancellor of all the public universities and president's agent for the tribal areas where Ajmal Khan is feared to have been taken by his abductors, has not even called or done anything in this regard,” teachers, who met with the family of the vice-chancellor, to discuss future plan of action, told Dawn .

The teachers said that vice-chancellors of University of Engineering and Technology and University of Peshawar had also not taken part in the meeting to suggest what plan of action should be taken to press the government to recover Ajmal Khan.

The FAPUASA in consultation with teacher associations of major public sector universities have decided to set up a hunger strike camp on Jamrud Road just outside the Islamia College University.

The teachers would be forced to announce closure of the universities if the government failed to take measures for the recovery of Ajmal Khan, they said.

However, FAPUASA has decided not to involve students in the strike. “We have not got any signal or any clue from the government that it has made progress in reaching to the captors of the vice-chancellor. Teachers feel such a thing could happen to anyone,” Prof Fida said.It is to be mentioned here that Kohat University of Science and Technology Vice-chancellor Dr Lutufulla Kakakhel also spent almost eight months in custody of kidnappers. Dr Farooq Khan, a staunch opponent of extremists and vice-chancellor of newly established university in conflict-ravaged Swat, was also shot dead in his clinic in Mardan earlier this month.