A Very Sad incident in Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan

Pakistan, since the day of its creation, has been under the control of people having sick mentality. Such people have never been loyal to their homeland and have been playing in the hands of foreign or local powers that always intend to destroy the system in one or the other way.

Education and quality education is one of the basic requirements for improvement of masses of this country. Govt. Universities are places where poor sector of our population can send their children for higher education. I have been criticizing the Musharraf policies as most of his actions went against the interest of the country. But one thing that was good and that deserve the appreciation, was the changes in education sector that I used to praise even in Musharraf era.

Unfortunately, this govt. started in very crucial circumstances and despite the seriousness of the economical and political issues the government is not making any effort for the stabilization in the country. Instead, it is making its all efforts to collect more and more money and control its political opposition. Some early steps taken by this government are not only foolish but stupid. The government may think that it has taken a positive step but the blind policy makers even can not see the bad effects caused by their actions.

One of such action taken by Zardari Govt. is the removal of ban from student unions in the universities and colleges. This lifting of ban has provided a way for political parties in the country to enter corrupt and blackguard elements in the university under the umbrella of studentship. In this effort Pakistan Peoples Party is on forefront that is funding and providing all relevant support to a student organization title "PSF-Peoples Student Federation".

In following lines I am going to mention a sad incident that is done by this student organization in a university.

Today on 11^th feb, 2009, a group of students of PSF entered in the department when class work was in progress. They started misbehaving and abusing the faculty members who were taking their classes. They ordered the students to go out of class rooms and threatened the teachers who refused to leave their classes. When few teachers resisted, they pushed them out of rooms. They also ordered the departmental staff to get lost from department and when one of the staff member refused to leave, they beaten him and thrown him out of department. The students (PSF members) were holding the weapon and they took the students, who were studying, on gun point to the VC office. Looking at the situation, faculty members started calling the class representatives to avoid the situation. When students tried to leave the gathering, they stopped the male and female students in very awkward way.  In the meanwhile they also invited a team of journalists of Express TV that started broadcasting all the event live.

When the matter is brought into knowledge of Vice Chancellor, he called the concerned chairman and faculty members in his office. A discussion on the issue raised by the so called PSF students (who were not concerned at all with departmental problems) was in progress while students started raising slogans against the concerned chairman and started demanding his immediate removal from chairmanship. Vice Chancellor sent few teachers of concerned department to outside lawn where students were gathered and raising slogans for the fulfillment of their demands. The teachers along with university officers went out and asked them to nominate few of them for proper communication, the PSF students misbehaved with the teachers again (all the students who misbehaved and played the lead role were not the student of the concerned department) and one of them delivered a paper describing their demands. The paper was brought to the office again and was read, all the points raised by students in their written paper were not worth enough to considerable like changing the criteria of pass/fail etc. Because this criteria is implemented in nearly all universities in the country providing education under semester system.  The students continued raising their slogans against the chairman and asking for the removal of Dr. Aman Ullah Khan, for that they had no solid reason. They forced all the departmental students to sit in the crowd for about two hours. Considering the continued protest, VC again sent all the faculty members of concerned department to have a talk with the students and find out their real issues. Again the teachers and university officers tried to communicate with students. One of the teachers said to the student to disperse and a peaceful solution will be sought for their genuine demands. Hearing this, the students playing the lead role, abused that teacher first and later on they threat all the teachers to see the consequences. They used the insulting language for faculty members. Having got insulted, the teachers came back to VC office where VC told the teachers to go back to department. The administration assured the protesters for consideration of their demands and that the department will remain closed till their demands are met.

When teachers reached back to their department, it is brought to their knowledge that the department is locked and keys are snatched by one PSF student. It was again embarrassing for teachers that a group of students is threatening them and not letting them to enter in the department. After a long negotiation, the students belonging to PSF (not the students of department) allowed the teachers to enter the department with the condition that they will take belongings and get out of department on the earliest. The teachers entered the department and took their necessary things and came out of the department.

Now the department is closed for undefined period.

Being the faculty member of concerned department, I want to raise few questions.

·         Who let the corrupt and abandoned elements to enter in the university?

·         Who gave this much courage to these elements to insult and humiliate not a single faculty member but all of the faculty members of the department and beat the staff members?

·         Should we expect a quality education delivered by these teachers in future?

·         Are there any manners and honor left for teachers?

·         What kind of culture our govt. is trying to create in our educational institute by allowing these student organizations to work where it has been observed and proved that such unions play the role of student wing of their parent political parties?

·         Considering this kind of circumstances and experiencing them, should a competent teacher think of joining a public sector university?

My dear reader: Is not it shameful that we the faculty members are being insulted and humiliated by these degrading political agents. Are we bound to get order from such people before entering in the classrooms? Should we get permission from them before entering in the university?

I know one thing that a nation who does not respect its teacher, failure is the fate for it.

BUT WHO CARES,

An Old Student of BCS, BZU

Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.