RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Islamia University Bahawalpur’s Rahim Yar Khan sub-campus administration has failed to fulfil its commitment to vacate the Khwaja Fareed Government Postgraduate College (KFGPC) hostel completely by Dec 1 in the light of the memorandum signed between all stakeholders at a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Socrat Aman Rana in the chair two months back.

KFGPC Principal Dr Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti told Dawn on Sunday [that] on Nov 30 evening IUB sub-campus director Tehmina Bukhari invited Bhatti to formally take over the Liaquat hostel and its annexe. The principal sent focal person Prof Abdul Ghaffar along with his team there.

He said a large number of labourers and the IUB security guards were found vacating the hostel and loading their luggage onto their buses on Friday evening. But late night at 1am, Tehmina Bukhari changed her stance and allegedly refused to hand over the Liaquat hostel annexe on the directions of the higher authorities. Bhatti alleged that the IUB sub-campus authorities didn’t want to vacate the building adjacent to the hostel as they had built some rooms and were using the same as guest house.

Varsity reluctant to hand over annexe being used as guest house

Later, Bhatti himself reached there but security guards allegedly misbehaved with him and his team of senior professors.

When the situation turned tense, Bhatti called police who rescued the college authorities from the IUB guards. Later, the college administration locked the hostel in the presence of the Punjab police.

Bhatti said: “The IUB guards are present at the annexed building.”

DC Socrat Aman Rana should implement the agreement between IUB and KFGPC administration to avert any confrontation.

Deputy Director (colleges) Sadia Rasheed said she had stopped the college administration from reacting to the situation. Ms Rasheed said she would discuss the issue with the DC on Monday for its peaceful solution.

IUB spokesperson Shehzad Ahmed Khalid did not attend the call despite repeated attempts.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2017