PESHAWAR, May 2: Lack of coordination between police and the administration is affecting the atmosphere in the campuses of three public sector universities and other educational institutions.

“We are required under the law to seek prior permission from the university administration to check unlawful activities in campuses which is often denied to us,” said a police official.

The government had in 1986 erected boundary walls around three universities — the University of Peshawar (UoP), the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) and the NWFP Agricultural University — to check lawlessness and facilitate educational activities.

One year later, a Campus Peace Corps (CPC) comprising 400 personnel was established to cope with protests by students, teachers and other unlawful activities taking place on the campuses. A Campus Coordination Committee (CCC) comprising officials of the CPC, UoP, UET and NWFP Agricultural University was also set up.

University of Peshawar Registrar Dr Shakil Ahmad told Dawn that recently at a meeting of the CCC a sub-committee had been formed to look into the functioning of the peace corps.

He said the committee had been tasked to oversee the working of the peace corps and make recommendations to regulate it for establishing lasting peace at the campuses.

Police officials said administrations of these universities were reluctant to give them freehand, adding that as a result, the sale of hashish, liquor and other contraband on the campuses had been on the rise.“It’s difficult to provide security to such a huge population. The CPC also deputes police to other districts, besides VIP duties on the campuses. The shortage of staff is a big problem,” said an official.

Twelve checkpoints established in and around three universities were without gas facilities, he added.

He said at least six DSPs and SHOs had been suspended and later transferred from campuses on complaints by some professors about routine search by CPC personnel at entrances.The university administrations got released students and other staffers booked for illegal activities at the campuses, the police official complained, adding that the teachers’ association used students and instigated them on protests to settle scores with the administration or police.

The officials said that hundreds of outsiders used to stay in hostels illegally and they were creating problems, adding that servant quarters were being occupied by the suspected people, but they could not take actions against them. “Professors have also accommodated their relatives in these quarters,” they added.

CPC SP Atiqullah Wazir told Dawn that they were trying to establish better coordination with the university administrations to maintain peace on the campuses, adding that the CPC worked under an agreed charter with the varsities.