ISLAMABAD: Following a recent attack on Vice Chancellor Quaid-i-Azam (QAU) by a temporary employee, the university on Thursday sought police security for the VC and deployment of Rangers at the entrance and exit points of the university.

QAU Registrar Dr Raja Qaiser Ahmed wrote a letter to the deputy commissioner Islamabad requesting him for providing police security to VC Dr Mohammad Ali and deploying Rangers at the entrance and exit gates.

In his letter, the registrar stated: “It is submitted into notice that law and order situation in Quaid-i-Azam University is intensely unpleasant. The worthy Vice Chancellor on August 14, 2022 has survived an attempted assassination on the event of flag hoisting ceremony in the university premises. In this connection, it is requested to kindly provide personal security to Vice Chancellor. The assassination attempt on VC is reflective of putrid law and order situation.”

It further said: “Your good office is again requested to deploy sufficient personnel of Rangers and police officials at the University’s entrance and exit gates for prevention of any dreadful happening.”

Registrar requests DC to deploy Rangers at entry, exit gates after aborted attack on VC

The suspect had been associated with the QAU as a paid internee against Rs10,000 per month in the Computer Science Department since 2016.

However, despite his years long efforts, he could not get a regular or daily-wage job in the university. A university official said there was a provision to hire anyone against a regular post or on a daily wage basis without adopting the proper procedure, which is calling applications through the media.

The internee on August 14 opened fire on VC apparently to vent his anger against the university management for not providing him a job.

However, the VC remained unhurt as a faculty member foiled the attempt of the internee and grabbed his hand due to which the bullets hit the wall and rooftop of a library. Later, the suspect was handed over to the police and after two days a court sent him to jail. Though the suspect has been sent to jail on judicial remand, the university management alleged that the police did not carry out a proper investigation.

A Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising faculty members and employees of QAU also wrote a letter to the SSP investigation, showing their concerns. The committee said the investigation of the case was not conducted in a professional way, adding the investigation officer (IO) missed the angle of terrorism and sectarianism.

They said forensic of the cell phone and social media account of the suspect was also not been carried out.

The JAC demanded of the SSP to task a senior officer with investigating the case.

When contacted, IO of the case Fayaz Akbar told Dawn that a thorough investigation was conducted and the main reason behind the attack was found to be frustration of the highly low-paid employee. The attacker told the police that he had been getting only Rs10,000 per month for the last seven years. The IO said the suspect also said despite repeated attempts he could not get a regular job.

“The suspect has been sent to jail along with his friend, whose pistol was used in the attack. The pistol has been sent to laboratory for forensic,” he said and added that intelligence agencies also probed the matter. “We found no sectarianism in the attack,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2022