Karachi: Never at a varsity are extra-curricular activities held at the expense of regular coursework except at the Karachi University (KU).
A cricket tournament organised at the campus by the All Pakistan Muttahida Student Organization (APMSO), student wing of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, turned ugly when some teachers refused to cancel classes on the request of party workers. The request, in no time, turned into threats.
Take the example of the department of mass communication. After the chairperson refused to cancel classes, at 11:30am four workers walked in and insisted that he complies.
He did not succumb but, infact, asked every teacher to not listen to the hooligans. This infuriated the workers, who threatened the teachers, closed down the grilled gates of the corridors leading to classrooms to prevent students from entering, and kept hounding the department till the classes were called off.
Students admit disruptions like these are a regular feature at the university, which is often criticised for having deep-rooted political interference.
“During the cricket tournament this week, classes were forcibly closed for the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony and each time a department won a match,” said an irked student.
“When there is no compulsion in religion, why should there be one for watching a match? Whoever wants to watch the match can walk to the stadium and do so, whoever wants to read a book in the library should be allowed to do so,” said another student.
Another teacher called the “Paigham-e-Aman” match, the “Paigham-e-Danda” for coercing people to attend.
Similar disruptions were witnessed when the Imamia Student Organisation observed Youm-e-Hussain at the campus earlier this week.
“I curse all student organisations for disrupting classes like this,” said a former worker of one such student political faction. “This is the reason I left the student political faction I was once affiliated with.”
Teachers claim they had asked Vice Chancellor Professor Muhammad Qaiser for instructions regarding the holding of classes this week, and he had given orders to continue them, uninterrupted.
“But what can one really say when the vice chancellor sits through the closing ceremony of the match himself, instead of supporting the teachers and students when hooligans like these come,” said an annoyed teacher.
When contacted, a representative of the APMSO denied having anything with the hooliganism. “The students who disturbed the classes were using our name. They are jealous of us. I personally apologise to all teachers threatened by these impostors.”
