Mr Ajmal Khan was kidnapped allegedly by Taliban militants in September along with his driver. Later, the militants warned to kill him by November 20 if their demands were not accepted by the government. – File Photo

PESHAWAR: The vice-chancellors (VCs) of public sector universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday decided to reopen universities from November 26, but provincial chapter of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA) said they would continue boycott of classes until recovery of Islamia College University Vice-Chancellor Ajmal Khan.

The meeting was chaired by University of Peshawar (UoP) VC Azmat Hayat and attended by office-bearers of the FAPUASA and VCs, including VC of University of Engineering and Technology Imtiaz Hussain Gilani, acting VC of Agriculture University Dr Naeem, VC of Malakand University Rasool Jan, VC of Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Ihsan Ali, VC of Khyber Medical University Dr Muhammad Hafizullah, VC of Women University Peshawar Ms Farhana Jahangir, FAPUASA president Dr Fida Mohammad and other office-bearers of the association.

Mr Ajmal Khan was kidnapped allegedly by Taliban militants in September along with his driver. Later, the militants warned to kill him by November 20 if their demands were not accepted by the government.

This sparked protests by the students association and teachers who held demonstrations to press the government to speed up efforts for release of the kidnapped VC.

Talking to reporters, UoP VC Azmat Hayat said that all universities would open from November 26.

“This decision has been taken in the best interest of the students and on repeated requests of the parents,” he said.

Mr Hayat said that all-out efforts would be made for the safe recovery of Ajmal Khan. He said that the VCs were satisfied with the efforts so far made by the government for the recovery of the ICU VC.

However, the representative body of teachers, FAPUASA, announced that it would continue their strike till recovery of the ICU VC.

Talking to this correspondent, FAPUASA KP chapter president Dr Fida said that they were present at the VCs’ meeting and presented their point of view.

“Here we have parted ways with the VCs. We will continue boycott of classes till the recovery of Ajmal Khan,” he said.

Dr Fida said that the teachers were fighting for the rights of VCs, but they had deviated from their principled stance. He also criticised Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani, who the chancellor of public sector universities, for ignoring the VC’s abduction and the

subsequent strikes by teachers. “The governor has taken the whole episode lightly, as he never bothered to hold a meeting with the teachers and brief them about the government’s efforts for the recovery of Ajmal Khan,” he said.