BAHAWALPUR: Law-enforcement agencies on Wednesday sealed two educational institutions -- Islamia University’s Railway Road campus and the Government Post-Graduate College, Baghdad Road -- for having poor security.

The action was taken after the institutions administrative heads failed to comply with the government instructions regarding improving the security on their campuses.

On Wednesday a heavy contingent of police and other law-enforcement agencies led by city DSP Shafqat Ata, arrived at the IUB Railway Road campus and asked the students and teachers to vacate the classrooms and the building. After getting the campus vacated in an hour, the police personnel sealed the building’s main gate.

A similar action was taken at the Government Post-Graduate College.

DSP Ata, who is also chairperson of the security advisory committee in his area, told Dawn the sealed institutions’ heads had earlier been told to comply with government instructions about the security of their institutions but they failed to do so.

He said the action was taken under the Security of Vulnerable Establishments Ordinance, 2015.

He said the institutions’ heads had been directed to meet the security requirements within three days, otherwise FIRs would be registered against them.

According to eye-witnesses, the police action panicked the the IUB campus students and teachers who hurriedly left their classes and the building.

The IUB campus houses faculty of pharmacy and conventional medicines college with a total strength of about 2000 students.

IUB public relations officer Shehzad Khalid said a boundary wall around the Railway Road campus had been built two months ago. However, he admitted, the campus needed a number of security measures, for which arrangements were afoot.

MULTAN: The Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) was closed for two days on the instruction of the district administration on Wednesday evening, reports APP.

A BZU spokesperson said that curricular activities on Jan 28 and 29 would be suspended while administrative offices would remain open.

He added that classes of distance learning programme would not be held on Jan 30 and 31 (Saturday and Sunday).

The university postponed three papers of ongoing MA/MSc examination.

Controller Examination Dr Mutahir Iqbal told APP that the papers, which were scheduled to be held on Jan 28, 29 and 30, had been postponed. He said new date (for holding of these papers) would be announced later.

He said from Feb 1 (Monday) onwards regular examination schedule would be followed.

SAHIWAL: District coordination officer of Pakpattan has sealed six private schools and local campus of a private varsity for having poor security, while Sahiwal DCO also ordered closure of a varsity campus for same reason.

More than 300 students are enrolled at the local campus of the University of Lahore in different disciplines.

As the the varsity campus lacked proper boundary wall and other security measures, the DCO ordered its closure.

Sources in district education department said the DCO also sealed six private school campuses in Pakpattan city.

Similarly, Sahiwal DCO has also ordered closure of Bahauddin Zakariya University Sub Campus because it too was without eight-foot high boundary wall.

Mamoona Amjad, an MA psychology student, said the varsity administration closed down the campus in the evening. ​

KASUR: The sistrict administration sealed on Wednesday eight campuses over poor security arrangements.

They included Pattoki campus of University Of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Government Degree College For Boys, Allied School, Al Saint Church School, Government Degree College For Women, Phoolnagar, Punjab College for Girls, Pattoki, and TCF High School for boys and girls in Dina Nath.

DPO Ali Nasir Rizvi is monitoring the institutions in person.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2016