ISLAMABAD: The Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) on Friday requested a parliamentary committee for action against drug barons selling drugs to students.

“We need more police pickets, increased police patrolling, security cameras and more weapons for our 200 plus guards against peddlers and drug barons who are operating without fear,” a senior QAU faculty member told the Senate Committee on Interior.

Concerned for the safety of the QAU representatives, who came forward with “sensitive” information, the chairman of the committee, PPP Senator Rehman Malik urged the media to not mention their names in their reports and directed SSP Security Mir Vais Niaz to provide them with security.

“I have confirmed this myself and spoke to students about the sale of drugs and alcohol [in disturbingly high quantities],” Senator Malik said.

Senate body agrees to provide enhanced security, help remove encroachments

The committee was told that the university is now building a wall around the campus, which spreads over some 1,700 acres of land, to keep out beggars and encroachers. The university occupies 900 acres while more than 600 acres have been encroached on by eight villages.

“There is massive encroachment on the university’s land and hundreds of houses and huts have been constructed the last year alone. Terrorists and drug dealers could be living in these houses for all we know,” said a QAU official.

The official requested the committee to provide more than a dozen security cameras and financial assistance as the varsity is short of Rs70 million for the completion of the boundary wall.

While Senator Malik assured QAU officials that more security personnel and arms licenses will be provided, Senator Shahi Syed of the Awami National Party opposed the request of providing more arms for the university guards.

“It is the state’s responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the students and faculty,” he said.

The meeting noted that the committee’s directions to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police earlier this month for deploying more personnel around the university had not been complied with.

However, SSP Niaz said some action has been taken.

“Some arrests have been made, including university employees and illicit substances including 35 bottles of alcohol were confiscated during raids,” he said.

SSP Niaz said the ICT police are short of personnel and that the Rangers and police are conducting patrols around the campus, which he said was enough of a deterrent against illegal activities and said an additional police blockade will be placed where the university management wants it.

The committee was told that almost all of the original land owners were compensated after the land was allotted to the university and the committee then asked Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz for details about the original land owners.

“The committee will ensure that the Rangers, Frontier Corps and the police assist the Capital Development Authority in evicting people if necessary,” Senator Malik said.

“The fight against drugs is as serious as the war against terrorism and requires the same steps to be taken. Drug dealers should be hanged to end this menace. But only one drug dealer has been hanged in decades,” the PPP senator said.

The committee has decided to visit the QAU campus on January 30 to ensure its directions have been implemented.

Published in Dawn December 31st, 2016