RAHIM YAR KHAN: An inquiry has been launched by the director Colleges Bahawalpur into a Qawwali night organised by the teachers and students of the English Department of Khawaja Fareed Government Postgraduate College (KFGPC), Rahim Yar Khan, in which a teacher danced with girl students and showered currency notes on them. The issue surfaced when a video of the musical night went viral on social media some days back, receiving backlash from social media users.

According to the sources of the college, the students of BS English, III semester, had sent an invitation to the students of all semesters and teachers online for a ‘Qawwali Night’ being organised in honour of new principals of the KFGPC and Associate Girls College, Sukkur Adda. A donation of Rs1,000 from each student was collected for the function.

On Feb 27, the Qawwali Night started outside the office of the deputy director Colleges on the KFGPC premises and the office furniture was used in the function.

The principals of both the colleges mentioned above, Dr Jamil Ahmed and Mrs Farrukh Chaudhry, with a professor of Sadiqabad, participated in the function.

In the video clips, after the start of the Qawwali, Arshad Baig, the vice principal and professor of the English Department of the college, was seen dancing with female students. Similarly teachers and students also showered currency notes on each other and the singers.

According to some reports, many teachers refused to participate when they were invited to join the activity with their families. Only four teachers of English Department out of 17 joined the function.

The head of security of the KFGPC, Professor Abdul Basit, told this correspondent that he was called by the Deputy Director Colleges (DDC) office on March 8, 2025 and verbally asked by the DDC to answer the questions to an inquiry committee about the event.

He said that two professors, Commerce College Khanpur Principal Abdul Shakoor Awan and Associate College Sadiqabad Principal Muhammad Tariq, in the presence of the DDC inquired how a musical night was arranged.

He (Basit) told the committee that the matter of function came to his knowledge when the musical instruments were being transported in the college and he refused to let them in. But when he was told that the principal and vice principal had issued the orders, he could not deny them entry.

When contacted, Director Colleges Bahawalpur Sharafat Ali admitted that the above mentioned details were correct and said that the whole matter was in his knowledge. He said the Higher Education Department (HED) did not allow the teachers and students to organise such activities as were against the moral values of society.

He said that initially he inquired into the issue with Principal Jamil but he could not give a satisfactory answer. Later, he ordered the DDC to inquire into the matter. Ali said he had himself completed a comprehensive report through his own investigation and submitted it to the DPI Colleges South Punjab, Multan. He said the competent authority, the secretary HED, will make the final decision.

DDC Saira Bano didn’t reply to the calls made to her for her version.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2025