Gomal varsity reopens today as students call off protest

PESHAWAR: Gomal University in Dera Ismail Khan will reopen for all academic and administrative activities today (Monday) as the weeklong protest by students has been called off.

However, issues pertaining to former federal minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s threats to Vice-Chancellor Dr Iftikhar Ahmad still persist as the latter has got registered a first information report (FIR) against the former along with lodging a complaint with the Cybercrimes Branch of the Federal Investigation Agency.

The vice-chancellor and other officials of the university are tight-lipped over matters about the threatening message by allegedly the former minister.

“The matter is in the court and it will not be appropriate to speak about it,” a spokesman for the university told The News.

The university was closed down for an indefinite period after the alleged threatening message sent to the vice-chancellor by the former federal minister.

The minister started interference in the university affairs by extending support to some protesting students, who had launched a protest campaign for getting their hostel, library and transport problems resolved.

Ali Amin Gandpur tried to take up a long-standing issue over asset distribution between Gomal University and the newly established Agriculture University and thus have his personal scores settled.

The vice-chancellor approached the chancellor of the university, who is the acting governor of the province, to seek his guidance on the situation and protection for his and his family members’ life and honour.

However, the acting governor instead of providing protection to the head of the university, held him responsible for the situation and asked him to submit a report about the asset distribution to the Chancellor’s Secretariat within three days.

Getting no encouraging response from the chancellor, the vice-chancellor had to seek protection from the police and thus he lodged an FIR.

Meanwhile, the university administration expedited the efforts to address the students’ concerns and overcome the tension in the university.

After the successful talks between the university administration and the protesting students, the latter called off the strike and the former announced reopening of the university.

A formal notification about reopening of the university stated: “It is notified for the information of all concerned that the vice-chancellor of the Gomal University has been pleased to open the university for all academic activities with effect from today (Monday)”.

Also, a 13-member committee consisting of teachers, officials from the administration and representatives of students was constituted to look into the situation and come up with a reasonable solution.

“The committee has been mandated to come up with appropriate solutions to all the problems relating to students for [an] approval of competent authority,” a notification on the formation of the committee stated.

Speaking at a small gathering after the successful talks, Gomal University Vice-Chancellor Dr Iftikhar Ahmad said that detailed discussions were held with the students.

There was some communication gap between the protesting students and the university administration, which has been bridged, he added.

The vice-chancellor said the university was actively pursuing what the students were demanding. But both sides were unaware of each other’s demands and actions, he said. Now, the students have come to know about the steps taken by the university administration.

The committee formed to look into resolving the students’ demands would expedite the process, he added.

“These students are our children. I am really happy today. All the problems of the students would be resolved and the university would be reopened,” the vice-chancellor said.