DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Different unions of Gomal University employees have raised serious concerns over the inquiry committee formed by the provincial government to probe an incident in which a student was injured by firing from varsity security staff member, questioning the body’s legitimacy.

They voiced their concerns during a meeting held here the other day.

The meeting passed a resolution condemning the formation of the inquiry body, and stated that provincial officials should have sought clarification from the university administration regarding the immediate actions taken at the institutional level before forming any committee.

The participants argued that forming an inquiry committee within two hours of the incident was a violation of the KP Universities Act, as the varsity had already suspended the employee involved in the incident and constituted its own fact-finding committee.

The members of the employees’ unions noted that one member of the committee had served as the vice-chancellor of Gomal University only a few months ago. This, they claimed, created a clear perception of conflict of interest and compromised the transparency of the inquiry.

The employees’ bodies said the university had only recently begun to return to normalcy, with the administration addressing student and staff issues more effectively.

They said the provincial government’s intervention, ‘under pressure from a few disruptive elements’, had unnecessarily disturbed the campus environment.

They alleged that a deliberate campaign was underway to malign Gomal University Vice-Chancellor Dr Zafar Iqbal, whose “only fault” was taking strict action against longstanding corruption soon after assuming office.

According to the unions, the vice-chancellor halted millions of rupees in financial irregularities, exposed massive corruption in affiliations, and stopped the sale of thousands of fake degrees in which several individuals, including a dean, were allegedly involved.

They said corruption worth millions had also taken place in hostels, where presidents of student groups were allotted multiple rooms free of cost.

The unions claimed that after the new vice-chancellor initiated an accountability process several individuals involved in the alleged misconduct began orchestrating daily disruptions by sending groups to protest outside the offices of the vice-chancellor and registrar.

They further alleged that a meeting of these “influential groups” was held last week at the residence of a senior officer, where a plan was finalised to create disturbances on campus on a daily basis.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2025