GCU directed to reinstate students

By Khalid Khattak

LAHORE: THE PUNJAB government has directed the Government College University (GCU) administration to reinstate the expelled students who had earlier been nominated in FIR for staging a protest demonstration a couple of days ago.The government has also ensured to get withdrawn the FIR against nine GCU students through proper channel. The Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan held a meeting with the GCU students, who had been nominated in the FIR, their parents and varsity registrar in his Punjab Assembly office on Saturday.Senior police officials, the investigation officer of the case and officials of Higher Education Department Punjab were also present on the occasion.The parents of the students expressed strong concerns over expulsion of students and demanded their reinstatement so that they might continue their studies at the university. They said the varsity administration earlier took an unfair and unjust decision by getting registered a case against these students under Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) and now the university had expelled them. Upon this the Law Minister expressed strong annoyance saying the act was like “adding fuel to the fire” on part of university administration, it is learnt. He directed the GCU registrar, Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid, to reinstate the expelled students so that they might join the university from Monday.It is further learnt the Law Minister told the GCU registrar “Your act (of expelling the students) has worsen the situation as the varsity administration as well as the government has been facing severe criticism from public after registration of the cases against protesting students under ATA”.Rana Sanaullah asked the registrar to get the expelled students reinstated immediately while he also ensured the worried parents that the government would ensure to get the FIR quashed against their children through proper channel.It may be mentioned here that a large number of GCU students had protested against the university administration on October 28 following the university administration struck off more than 200 students on charges of short attendance.Afterwards on complaint of GCU registrar the local police had registered a case against protesting students under the ATA. Two GCU students Haroon Mahmood and Usman Latif were arrested in a midnight raid and were produced before the Anti Terrorism Court and later were sent to jail as they were charged with section 7 Anti Terrorism Act (ATA). However both the students were released on Friday as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Sayed Zahid Hussain took suo moto notice of the students’ plight after it was reported in the Press that two students had been sent to jail by an Anti-Terrorism Court.Interestingly during the Saturday’s meeting a controversy erupted over registration of FIR as both, the university official and police, denied responsibility for registration of case under the Anti Terrorism Act. The police officials claimed the FIR was registered on complaint of GCU registrar while Sahibzada Faisal Khurshid claimed he had simply complained about the incident. Talking to The News Muhammad Latif father of Usman Latif said he was quite worried about the future of his son saying on October 28 an FIR was registered against his son while on October 30 the university expelled Usman. He said the Law Minister had assured the parents that all the expelled students would be reinstated while FIR would also be withdrawn. When contacted Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said misunderstanding between GCU administration and students had been removed adding that the university administration had also been asked to reinstate the expelled students.He said after representation to the university administration the expelled students would be reinstated adding FIR against students would also be got withdrawn through proper channel.Akmal one of the students said, students was really grateful to the Punjab government which had intervened to address their grievances.

Source: The News International
Sunday, November 02, 2008