Summary The VC chaired a meeting of the faculty and university employees
CHARSADDA (Dunya News) – Faculty and administration of Bacha Khan Unievrsity have rejected investigation committee’s report on security that held the Vice Chancellor (VC) responsible for the attack on January 20, Dunya News reported Monday.
Supporters of Vice Chancellor Fazal Raheem Marwat have said that neither he would resign nor he would be sacked. The university has been shut for an indefinite period of time.
The VC chaired a meeting of the faculty and university employees to take his subordinates in confidence over the matter.
The meeting vowed to defend the Vice Chancellor in case the authorities attempt to sack him. The participants demanded formation of a judicial commission to review the issue. The administration has further demanded deployment of Frontier Corps (FC) in the premises.
The meeting stated that the university would be opened only after FC personnel are deployed.
Earlier on January 30, investigation committee which was formed to probe Bacha Khan University attack compiled a report which held VC Marwat and security in-charge responsible for negligence.
The three-member committee was formed with a purpose to get clarity on security situation of the university at the time of attack on January 20.
Findings of the committee suggested that as many as eight guards were absent from their duties when attackers stormed Bacha Khan University taking advantage of dense fog.
The university had not informed the district administration about special routine followed on the day of attack pertaining to anniversary of Bacha Khan. At least 19 security guards were appointed around the university campus however, four were absent while four ran away after hearing gun fires.
Report stated that the VC had left the security responsibility with a PhD professor without discussing the matter with the syndicate. Reportedly, the professor was not trained to deal with the given job.
According to the recommendations forwarded by the committee, Vice Chancellor Fazal Raheem Marwat and security in-charge Ashfaq Ahmed should be relieved from services while retired security personnel be hired on daily-wage basis.
On January 20, four militants had entered Bacha Khan University in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Charsadda in the early hours and opened fire. As many as 21 lives were lost in the insurgency while several wounded.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak and different provincial ministers were out of the country at the time. The Chief Minister cut short his United Kingdom (UK) visit and returned on directives of Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif.
CM Khattak demanded the government to talk eye-to-eye with India and Afghanistan to curb terrorism and interference on Pakistani soil.
