The NUML, Pakistan Tragic Incident (cont'd)

Zardari orders inquiry into NUML registrar’s ‘assault’ on colleague

By Vidya Rana

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has ordered an inquiry into the alleged manhandling of a lecturer by the National University of Modern Sciences (NUML) Registrar Brig (r) Obaidullah Ranjha. Ranjha had allegedly roughed up IR Department lecturer Tariq Malik in the university’s staff room. Farahatullah Babar, spokesperson for the president, told the media persons on Friday that President Zardari had expressed deep concern over the incident. Taking notice of the incident, NUML Rector Brig (r) Aziz Ahmed Khan has constituted a committee comprising senior teachers to investigate the matter. Meanwhile, condemnations continued to pour in against the alleged assault by the registrar. Quaid-i-Azam University Academic Staff Association (QAUASA) has condemned the alleged manhandling of Tariq Malik by the retired military officer on the varsity premises. Registering its protest, QAUASA President Dr Aitzaz Ahmad demanded immediate dismissal of the NUML registrar from service. When contacted, Rashid Khalid, QAUASA former secretary, said that it was strange that retired army officers were running the universities. He said the vice chancellors (VCs) or rectors should be academicians and not military personnel. He said the HEC’s eligibility criterion for the public sector universities’ VCs should also apply on universities like NUST, NDU, Bahria and the Air University. He said the HEC should cancel the charters and revoke degree-awarding status of those institutions, which fail to follow this criterion. The alleged incident occurred during a staff room discussion between two colleagues, which later turned into a fight. The NUML students strongly reacted to the incident and staged a protest demonstration. They chanted slogans against the university administration and blocked roads, however, they dispersed peacefully after the intervention of teachers. It is pertinent to mention that Tariq Malik is son of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) Rector Dr Fateh Muhammad Malik.