LAHORE: A PhD student on Wednesday refused to receive her degree from Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) Shahbaz Gill on the second day of the 16th convocation of the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU).

A source in the LCWU told Dawn that the woman had tweeted about not receiving the degree before time and the administration had directed the security and faculty of social sciences to stop her from entering the university. However, the administration later forgot to exclude her name from the list, he said.

LCWU spokesperson Naveed Iqbal said no one had tried to stop the woman from entering the university.

In a tweet, which was later deleted, Dr Fauzia Imran said Mr Gill did not deserve to be a chief guest.

“I have decided not to receive my PhD degree on stage as a protest against the chief guest, Shahbaz Gill. He does not deserve to be a chief guest of the convocation of prestigious universities like LCWU,” she tweeted.

Ms Imran was to receive her PhD degree during the evening and third session of the convocation being held on Wednesday. Her name was announced on the stage but she did not turn up.

Mr Gill tweeted: “The woman did not come from home to receive the degree and she is the relative of PML-N leader Khwaja Saad Rafique. One news channel again proved to be a media cell of the PML-N and first made the news and later aired it. Tell the public the complete truth that the woman belonged to their party and it’s regrettable to use students for cheap politics.”

On the second day, two sessions were conducted and as many as 2,563 degrees were awarded to students of 2019 session and 2,943 degrees to those of 2020.

Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht was chief guest at the first session.

Addressing the participants, he said the country’s GDP could be increased up to 30 per cent by providing women equal vocational training and employment opportunities and securing their workplaces.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2021