\u201cThere is fear and disappointment in students, who live to see such a heinous act,\u201d
\nPESHAWAR
\nPeople have short memories. Those mourning Mashal\u2019s lynching have forgotten that the same mindset took another youth\u2019s life too some seven springs ago. His fault was playing music and he was killed by his fellow students too.
\nAdnan Abdul Qadir, a final year student of University of Engineering and Technology, was also beaten in his hostel room for playing guitar by students affiliated with a religio-political party. He died of head injuries later.
\nAs the names, pictures and videos of the students allegedly involved in lynching of their fellow student in Abdul Wali Khan University are emerging, it is shocking to know youth associated with political parties, irrespective of being progressive and conservative, all took part in the heinous act.
\nUoP teacher admits not a single music function held on campus since long
\nThe act has shocked many but more shocking is the fact that such mindset exists in educational institutions and is ever growing unchecked.
\nProgressive-looking teachers at one of the biggest and oldest public sector universities — University of Peshawar — seemed willy-nilly to pray or offer condolences over killing of Mashal Khan at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan by mob, mostly students.
\n\u201cThere is fear and disappointment in students, who live to see such a heinous act,\u201d said Dr Jamil Chitrali, heading Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies and teachers\u2019 body at UoP.
\nHe said that the very next day all he asked his students was to write what they felt about the incident during the class. \u201cThe students as well as teachers need to attend de-radicalisation session,\u201d he said, adding that he started arranging such sessions too.
\nDr Chitrali said that about $56 billion were invested in Nebraska University project back in 1980s to make a certain kind of mindset but not a single penny was being invested to reverse that mindset.
\nThe signs were there since long. Opposition by certain political wings of students to diverse activities at universities across the province is a visible sign of such a mindset.
\n\u201cThe students of UoP have been holding farewell and welcome gatherings in private marriage halls as there is no tolerance for music or such gatherings on the campus,\u201d Arshad Haroon, the father of a student told this scribe sometime ago.
\nDr Chitrali admitted that not a single music function was held on the campus to entertain youth. Instead, there had been some teachers advising girl students to wear gowns and not to sit on the lawns with boys. The classroom, cafeterias, conferences and seminars in UoP through the years have shown clear segregation of sexes among the students.
\nUniversity may have been derived from the world \u2018universe\u2019 but there are clearly two universes based on gender inside the campuses.
\nThere is a ban on student unions in the universities but student leaders, who occupy rooms in hostels for indefinite period, are active. \u201cThey are accountable to heads of their political parties than students,\u201d said a teacher on condition of anonymity fearing backlash.
\nThe vice-chancellors as well as teachers have political wings associated with political parties. The moment their political party comes into power in the province, they come into power in the universities too.
\nCurrently, despite clear-cut tenure and initiation of selection process six months prior to expiry of it to appoint a vice-chancellor at a public sector university, nine out of 19 functional universities in the province have no full-time VC. The teachers, who have been appointed pro-VCs or acting VCs, have affiliation of some sort with the ruling political parties in the province.
\n\u201cActing VCs having political understanding with a party comply with the government\u2019s orders better. So the reason for delay is obvious,\u201d said a senior teacher of UoP.
\nThe political interference in some universities are just few indications how the new varsities, still lacking highly qualified staff, have become recruitment havens for ruling politicians in their constituencies.
\nEven in the well-established universities like UoP, the acting VC is known to many on the campus as \u201cJI man\u201d since he has contested many teachers\u2019 body election from the platform of Tanzeem-i-Asatiza, the teachers wing of Jamaat-i-Islami.
\nDr Noor Mohammad, the pro-VC of University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar, has remained president of Tanzeem-i-Asatiza.
\nThe acting VC of Swat University is also said to be political choice of JI.
\nThe pro-VCs in public sector universities in Mardan and Charsadda are said to be men of Qaumi Watan Party, a coalition partner in the provincial government.
\nPro-VCs in universities of Karak, Haripur, Malakand are also choices of the ruling political parties because they have some sort of association with these parties.
\nThe political influence of a certain party on a campus is maintained through these appointed heads, teachers and student leaders. In such an environment there is no room for difference of opinion or diverse views. \u201cIn such a campus either you are with them or may perish if against them,\u201d says an academician.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThere is fear and disappointment in students, who live to see such a heinous act,\u201d PESHAWAR People have short memories. Those mourning Mashal\u2019s lynching have forgotten that the same mindset took another youth\u2019s life too some seven springs ago. His fault was playing music and he was killed by his fellow students too. Adnan Abdul […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-peshawar"],"yoast_head":"\n