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'IJT adventurism caused Rs1 million loss'
LAHORE, April 18(Dawn): Islami Jamiat Tulaba activists had not only disrupted
the Pharmacy Festival 2007 at the Old Campus on Saturday last but also damaged
valuables worth one million rupees, claim faculty and students of the Punjab
University College of Pharmacy.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday,
college's acting principal Prof Dr Bashir Ahmad, faculty members and students
said the IJT activists had also used abusive language and thrashed faculty
members, injured lecturer Zeeshan Danish and hurt a number of male and female
students.
The college students, wearing black dresses or black armbands
as a mark of protest, said the college was celebrating the five-day festival
from April 10. They said the festival involved many events like sport,
exhibition of industrial units, pharmaceutical stalls, campaign against
hepatitis, seminar on WTO as well as events marking the third anniversary of the
college.
They said the college had constituted different committees to
organise all functions in a befitting manner. The students studying in different
programmes were involved in various committees to assist the management. The IJT
activists were also invited to assist the management for the smooth holding of
the festival. The IJT, they said, had promised to extend full
cooperation.
Contrary to the understanding, they said, a mob of some 60
to 70 IJT activists entered the college forcefully at about 5.45pm on Saturday
and used abusive language against the dean and principal, faculty members and
college administration.
The faculty and students alleged that the IJT
activists immediately started smashing windowpanes of college offices, main hall
and disrupted arrangements made by the contractor for the dinner, in which about
2,000 guests had been invited.
They said the assailants damaged the
entire crockery, candlelights and decoration pieces worth Rs350,000. Thereafter,
the assailants entered the main hall decorated by the faculty and students. They
alleged that the IJT activists also smashed a TV set, multimedia, computers,
rostrum, a plasma screen, studio lights and sound system. The activists also
unplugged by force high voltage electric wires that caused sort circuit. The
university estate officer and security guards overcame the fire in half-an-hour.
According to them, the worth of the damage was Rs1 million.
Meanwhile,
the activists pelted stones and bottles that caused injuries to some students,
including girls. They also damaged the front screen of an air-chilling
vehicle.
The complainants said that they had brought the matter to the
notice of the vice-chancellor and other varsity officials immediately. The
police was called to control the situation. They said the IJT act had brought a
bad name to the oldest seat of learning.
Meanwhile, PU vice-chancellor
Arshad Mahmood has condemned the IJT activists for their illegal activity and
added that they were damaging the peaceful atmosphere of the university. He said
that stern action would be taken against all those who had damaged the varsity
property.
PU registrar Prof Dr Naeem Khan said the varsity had identified
some hooligans and would proceed against them under the law. He said an inquiry
committee would be constituted in the light of initial fact-finding
report.
IJT: PU's IJT Nazim Muhammad Ayub said that the Jamiat would
never allow music and such functions on the campus.
He said the pharmacy
college faculty and students had invited singer Abrarul Haq and were going to
hold a concert on Saturday evening.
He denied that the IJT activists had
thrashed any teacher or student and added that lecturer Zeeshan had faked the
injuries. He said the activists had only torn down a banner besides smashing
some windowpanes but denied having damaged varsity property.
Mr Ayub said
that the university administration should follow the PU calendar while
organising functions on the campus.
Lecturer Mr Danish said the IJT
activists were making threatening calls to him.
College student Ms Usama
said the assailants had come to the college on three university buses. She said
the girls had saved their lives by taking shelter in the common room. She said
the IJT's female activists had also created a conservative environment in girls
hostels. "We are not allowed to enjoy music or hold birthday parties," she
claimed.
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