KARACHI: A move to hand over a Karachi University building, which is currently in use for academic purposes, to the army to house over 800 troops was strongly opposed by the Karachi University Teachers’ Society (Kuts) on Tuesday.

The move would badly affect academic activities of around 1,800 pharmacy students who would have no option but to suspend their studies during the period of army troops’ stay, said Kuts president Dr Shakeel Farooqi while addressing a press conference on campus.

“We protest against the directive of the Karachi East deputy commissioner who recently conveyed to the university administration through a fax that the building of pharmacy faculty be handed over to army officials for census arrangements,” he said.

The army’s assistance has been sought by the government to help the local administration during the first phase of the census, which is scheduled to begin on March 15.

However, the Kuts president said, the university administration, teachers and students had not been consulted on the issue that would directly affect them.

“It will create an academic crisis in the university and will ruin its academic atmosphere. We, therefore, strongly oppose this decision and demand that no building currently in use for academic purpose is given to any law-enforcement agency for census arrangements,” said Dr Farooqi in reply to a question.

He asked the university administration to investigate the matter and punish those found responsible for giving a green signal to the deputy commissioner for issuing such directives to the university.

“The university administration should take teachers on board and resist any such move, which should be taken in consultation with all stakeholders. We will not allow suspension in academic activities,” the Kuts president vowed.

The vice chancellor, he said, had held a meeting with Kuts representatives and university syndicate members in the morning and had assured them that no academic block would be handed over for census purposes.

“We have been told that the university has declined in writing to follow the deputy commissioner’s directives,” he said.

The first phase of the much-awaited population census, being held after 19 years, will be conducted in selected divisions of the country including Karachi and Hyderabad from March 15 and end on April 15.

The remaining areas will be covered in the second phase. For the first phase, the army has promised to provide 45,000 personnel.

According to some reports, between 800 and 1,000 army troops are likely to stay on the KU campus to perform their census duty in the metropolis.

The university registrar didn’t respond to repeated calls when contacted to give the administration’s version on the issue.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2017