Call to withdraw case against PU faculty members

LAHORE: Punjab University Law College faculty members Thursday demanded Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing to withdraw a case registered against them over the charges of abusing a female colleague on social media.

The FIA had registered a case on the complaint of university law college lecturer Khujista Rehan against Assistant Prof Dr Sania Zahra Malik, Assistant Prof Imran Alam, Assistant Prof Muhammad Shafique, Assistant Prof Imran Javed and Prof Dr Abid Husain for their alleged involvement in abusing the complainant through social media Whatsapp group on January 31.

PU Law College principle Prof Dr Shazia Qureshi, former principal Dr Dil Muhammad Malik and Dr Mahboob Husain and others addressed a press conference at Lahore Press Club.

Dr Shazia Qureshi said the FIA cyber crime wing had registered a case against them without proper inquiry of the complaint of Khujista Rehan against them. She alleged that FIA Cyber Crime Wing head Shoaib had favoured Khujista Rehan, adding the FIA officials did not entertain their complaint.

She demanded that FIA officials should inquire the matter on merit and should also register a case on their complaint. She also demanded the university administration to take action against the lecturer and an inquiry team should be constituted to re-investigate the matter. She said Khujista Rehan was earlier terminated from the office of hostel warden by the university administration but she got stay from the court. She said Khujista Rehan had abused her and other colleagues on PU Hostel Management official Whatsapp group and when the colleagues protested she also abused them.

She said the FIA had also violated court orders which directed them to hold inquiries of both complaints. She alleged that the FIA officials also shifted the inquiry to Islamabad and without calling the suspects for inquiry registered the case one-sided.

The teachers demanded the Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zakarya Zakar to constitute a committee and re-investigate the matter.

They also demanded the FIA director general to withdraw the FIR registered against them and also register a case against Khujista Rehan for abusing the senior professor Dr Shazia Qureshi, Dr Dil Muhammad and Dr Sania.