LAHORE: A Baloch female student of the Punjab University (PU) has approached the Lahore High Court, challenging a notification of her suspension from the university, which also declared her a ‘miscreant student’.

Sadia Baloch, an LLB student at the University Law College, filed a petition through Advocate Asad Jamal and assailed the powers exercised by PU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Khalid Mahmood and the head of Security Office, retired Col Ubaid Masood, to suspend students on any ground whatsoever.

The petition argues that such powers can only be exercised while following the due process by the disciplinary committee and for a limited time as prescribed in the schedule annexed to the Punjab University Act.

It says the head of the security’s practice of surveillance of students in the name of ‘under observation’ violates various articles of the Constitution.

The petition argues that the impugned notification to suspend the student was issued by the office of the PU registrar on the instructions of the acting VC more than two months ago but the petitioner was never informed about the proceedings initiated on the basis of an undertaking that the university requires every candidate to submit at the time of admission. It asserts that the undertaking is unconstitutional and illegal as it places prohibition on students’ right to political expression by requiring them to forgo their fundamental freedoms of speech, right to association and peaceful assembly as guaranteed in the Constitution. The so-called undertaking illegally empowers the VC unfettered and completely arbitrary and unreasonable power to expel students without notice in violation of article 10A of the Constitution.

The petition seeks a declaration from the court against the undertaking for having been obtained under coercion. It also urges the court to order the PU to issue the petitioner her roll number slip to enable her to sit the annual examinations starting from Aug 22.

The petition has been fixed before Justice Shakil Ahmad for hearing on Aug 19.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2024