LAHORE, May 23: The Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PUASA) ended on Wednesday its five-day boycott of classes after, what it says, an assurance by the Punjab government that police would be deployed on varsity campuses for three months to protect teachers from violent student groups.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah in a meeting with the PUASA executive body on Tuesday had said that the police would chuck out illegal residents from hostels and that the capital city police officer had been asked to withdraw an FIR registered against university teachers.

PUASA President Amer Sarwar told reporters after association’s executive and general body meetings that the general body had unanimously decided that boycott of classes be ended.

The PUASA had announced boycott of classes after Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) activists had thrashed two PU teachers and attacked Vice Chancellor Mujahid Kamran’s office on Wednesday last during a protest against the murder of its leader, Awais Aqeel.

Mr Sarwar said the government had assured the association that the government and PU administration would coordinate to protect teachers.

He said the police would launch a clean-up operation in hostels. “Earlier, police were never supportive,” he said.

He quoted the law minister as having said that the government would also amend university’s act to ensure that teachers were protected from threats.

He said they would make-up for the academic loss of the students by holding remedial classes on Saturdays after approval from the administration.

Dr Mumtaz Anwar, a leader of the Academic Group, who also attended the general body meeting, told Dawn that the PUASA president did not share any detail with the body.

A few other teachers said the PUASA body had been grilled for scrapping the boycott call without solid assurances for the protection of teachers. “Have you ever heard that the government has refused to provide protection to the university teachers?” said a teacher.

Dr Anwar said the Group had already refused to follow the association executive body’s decision of boycotting classes.

“The PUASA executive body had unilaterally taken drastic decision of boycotting classes and then got it approved in general body next day,” he said. Dr Anwar said the PUASA should have stepped up its protest campaign step-by-step beginning from wearing black armbands to holding token protests, token boycott of classes etc.