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KARACHI: More than 300 teachers of Karachi University have so far recorded their protest against the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree on Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik by participating in a signature campaign, it emerged on Sunday.
The signature campaign against the governor’s decision about the award of the degree was initiated only a few days ago by Karachi University’s Teachers Guild, whose representative said a petition carrying maximum signatures would be sent to the vice chancellor, the chancellor and the chief justice of Pakistan.
The society had also planned the launch of a website so that KU alumni could also register their protest, said Prof Dr Shakeel Farooqui, representing the teachers’ guild, while speaking to Dawn.
“Of the 550 regular KU teachers, 300 plus have signed against the decision. This doesn’t include the number of cooperative teachers joining the campaign,” he said.
Besides, around 60 university teachers submitted a request in writing to the president of Karachi University Teachers’ Society to call a meeting of its general body to discuss the issue.
However, KUTS President Dr Abid Husnain told Dawn that it might be difficult to call a general body meeting at a time when the process for KUTS election (expected next week) had already started.
He added that KUTS in its recently held executive council meeting had already condemned the conferment of the honorary doctorate degree on Federal Minister Rehman Malik. “We demand that the VC immediately call a meeting of the university syndicate, where the matter should have been brought for discussion.”
He said the syndicate had not met since March.
The university has so far conferred honorary degrees on the following individuals: King Saud bin Abdul Aziz, King of Saudi Arabia (1954); Reza Jafri, Minister for Education, Iran (1955); Mahmut Celal Bayar, President of the Republic of Turkey (1955); Madame Reside Celal Bayar (1955); Ethem Menderes, Minister of National Defence of Turkey (1955); Syedna Taher Saifuddin Saheb, Chancellor of Muslim University of Aligarh (1955); Ghulam Mohammad, former governor general of Pakistan and former chancellor of the University of Karachi (1955); Mohammad Ali, Prime Minister of Pakistan (1955); Adnan Menderes, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey (1956); Mehmet Fuat Koprulu, foreign minister of the Republic of Turkey (1956); Mohammad Zahir Shah, King of Afghanistan (1958); Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh (1959); R. E. Lucke, leader of the German Industrial Mission to Pakistan; Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, President of Pakistan (1962); Carjon P. Roanlo, presidential adviser on foreign affairs (1965); Justice Ikramullah (1956); Sir Clement Price Thomas (1966); Prof A. B. A.
Haleem (1966); Prof B. A. Hashmi (1966); surgeon commodore Jalal K. Shah (1966); Prof Salimuzzaman Siddiqui (1966); Prof Marldohaanes Howman, professor of political science at the University of Cologne (1976); retired Justice Mohammad Haleem (1990); Nabi Bux Baloch (1990); Agha Hasan Abedi (1990); Prof Wolfgang Voelter (1990); Prof Sir Roy York Calne (1992); Mohammad Abdullah Haroon (1993); Prof Mumtaz Ali Qazi (1993); Abdul Qadeer Khan (1993); Prof Ahmed Ali (1993); Hakeem Mohammad Ahsan (1993); retired Justice Qadeeruddin Ahmed (1993); Ahmad Faraz (1995); Admiral Mansoorul Haq (1996); Akhtar Hameed Khan (1996); Prof Ganke Kootstra (1998); Jamiluddin Aali (1998); Ahmed Mirza Jamil (1999); Akhtar Hussain Raipuri (1999); Prof Mohammad Akhtar (2000); Prof Shahabuddin H. Rahimtoola (2000); Prof Mushtaq Ahmed Khan Yousufi (2003); Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin (2004); Prof Ata-ur-Rehman (2005); Prof Mehmet Haberal, founder of the first private university of health sciences (Baskent University) in Turkey (2006); and Rehman Malik, federal interior minister (2011).
