PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s announcement that the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of the University of Peshawar will be named after slain journalist Arshad Sharif has stirred a controversy, prompting the Khyber Union of Journalist (KhUJ) to oppose the move and urge the government to focus on improving the people’s lives.

The renaming of the department was announced by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in a TV talk show where anchor Athar Kazmi asked him what he did to honour the journalist, who was shot and killed in Kenya by the local police in October 2022.

“You have not visited Mr Sharif’s family nor named a journalism department in the province after him,” the anchor said.

“You have given me a really good idea, and no one has brought this up with me before. Now that you have taken up this issue, the KP government will name the journalism department in one of the KP universities after Mr Sharif. You will see the provincial government’s action on this subject soon,” Mr Gandapur replied to the anchor.

KhUJ takes issue with move, urges govt to focus on improving people’s lives

Higher education minister Meena Khan Afridi later wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the department would immediately start working on the chief minister’s announcement.

“God willing, we are going to name the University of Peshawar’s journalism department after Arshad Sharif Shaheed,” he said.

Also, the higher education department, in a statement, revealed that the chief minister had formally directed it to take necessary steps to rename a university department after Arshad Sharif.

It added that in accordance with the chief minister’s instructions, the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of the University of Peshawar would be named after Arshad Sharif as a tribute to him.

The statement quoted Mr Afridi as saying that work on the initiative has begun on an emergency basis.

However, the Khyber Union of Journalists took issue with the announcement and condemned the proposed naming of the department after Mr Sharif while ignoring the many other journalists from the province who have lost their lives in the war on terror.

In a joint statement issued here, KhUJ president Kashifuddin Syed and general secretary Arshad Maidani demanded of the provincial government to revert its decision immediately.

They said that the government’s decision to rename the department was unacceptable.

They also said that if the provincial minister was so much attached to Mr Arshad Sharif, then they should set up another institution after him and KP’s journalists would fully support it.

The KhUJ leaders said that it would resist and oppose the provincial minister announcement at every level and would not allow the renaming at any cost.

They also said that over 50 journalists from the province had lost their lives in the course of the war on terrorism, so if minister Meena Khan Afridi was concerned about the journalists’ sacrifices, then he should name the department after one such journalist from within the province.

The KhUJ leaders also said that the provincial government should focus on improving people’s lives and reconstruction of the province instead of engaging in naming and renaming of institutions and places.

They said the provincial government should immediately withdraw its decision to name the department after Arshad Sharif otherwise, the journalists would agitate against it.

Prof Faizullah Jan, a JMC faculty member, questioned the rationale for the renaming of the department.

“This thinking is dangerous,” he said.

The faculty member said that the provincial government should give the Arshad Sharif Relief Package to the university as the faculty and staff members had not received their salaries on time for the past one half year.

He said the varsity had on Tuesday informed its staff that they would receive only basic pay before Eid while the rest would be paid after Eid.

“Instead of renaming, the provincial government should announce a relief package for the varsity after the slain journalist,” he said.

Prof Jan said that the announcement was a feeler and if there is backlash, the government would back paddle and say they were not doing so on Imran Khan’s direction and in case of no backlash would proceed with plans.

The JMC was established in 1985 as a diploma awarding institution. After four years of its working, the department was elevated to postgraduate level in 1988. Until October 2000, the institution was called the Department of Journalism.

Besides training hundreds of journalists and media professionals over the course of years, it has also built the capacity of journalists in the province and offered MA, MPhil and PhD courses.

Earlier last month, the KP government renamed the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium-lone international cricketing venue in the province-after former prime minister Imran Khan, despite widespread criticism.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2025