LAHORE, May 9: Tension mounted at the Punjab University New Campus on Monday evening after the Islami Jamiat Tulaba announced that it would go ahead with its plan to hold its three-day book fair beginning from Tuesday (today) despite an official ban.
A source told Dawn that the PU administration had called out police to meet any eventuality.
On the other hand, the student function committee warned that it would not remain peaceful if the administration tried to disrupt the function by force.
It said the administration’s decision to disallow the function at this stage was belated.
“We have displayed banners, posters and hoardings across the city besides inviting over 100 publishers.”
It claimed that more than 10,000 teachers, students and people belonging to different walks of life across the province were scheduled to participate in the fair on the first day.
It alleged that the administration had earlier allowed it to hold the fair but after the intervention of certain ‘political quarters’, it reversed it’s decision and that, too, at the eleventh hour.
“Book fairs have been held for the last 19 years with moral and financial support of vice-chancellors. It is purely an academic activity and giving it a political colour is unfair on the part of the university administration,” it added.
Sources said the administration had tried its best to convince the student wing to hold the fair in September but it refused to do so as it was one of its major programmes to show its strength on the campus.
The administration had formed two committees to negotiate with the student wing but they met with failures.
The PU administration has been facing problems for the last several months after the chief minister banned all political activities in educational institutions in the Punjab.
PU registrar Dr Naeem Ahmed Khan was not available for comments.
SYNDICATE: The Punjab University syndicate on Monday decided that no particular student wing could organize an event without the administration’s approval.
Presided over by vice-chancellor Arshad Mahmood, the syndicate authorized the VC to take all necessary steps to ensure that all extra-curricular activities be held under the university faculty and administration.
Dr Mujahid Ali Mansoori pointed out that the student adviser had asked all heads of the departments to nominate a student from their departments for holding the book fair. He asked the VC to also investigate whether the student wing was earlier given approval by the administration to hold the function.
He also pointed out that the university was losing its autonomy as it was being used for political bargaining.
MMA MPA Ahsanullah Waqas, who is a syndicate member, asked as to why the VC who had been patronizing such events for the last five years disallowed holding of the fair this year.
The VC, however, denied that he had ever endorsed such functions in the past. He also denied that he had disallowed holding of the function to get extension.
Academic Staff Association president Prof Haris Rashid stressed the need for negotiations with the student wing over the issue.
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