PESHAWAR: The teaching and non-teaching staff of University of Peshawar observed complete strike on Tuesday against the killing of security supervisor of the university, Saqlain Bangash.

They demanded of the government to remove the vice-chancellor and conduct judicial inquiry into the killing of the security supervisor, who was killed due to firing by a security guard.

No academic and administrative activities took place on the campus. The employees of the university staged a sit-in at Puta Chowk that continued till afternoon.

The protesters displayed banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the university administration and in favour of their demands. They also chanted slogans on the occasion.

VC says it’s unjust to demand his removal over killing of security supervisor

According to the FIR registered with the campus police, Saqlain Bangash, security supervisor of a private company, was killed on Sunday when the pistol of security guard Masood allegedly went off after falling from his hands.

Saqlain Bangash was a former employee of University of Peshawar (UoP). After his retirement a couple of years ago, he rendered services to various private security companies.

Talking to Dawn, Vice-chancellor Prof Mohammad Idrees termed the teachers’ demands unjustified and irrelevant. “The teachers stood against me when I stopped their illegal allowances, which they were getting for the last many years,” he claimed.

Peshawar University Teachers Association president Mohammad Uzair said that their strike would continue till accepting of their demands including removal of vice-chancellor, initiating a judicial inquiry into the killing of Saqlain Bangash, clearing the university of arms, conducting psychological examination of all the security staff on the campus.

He said that a protest procession would be staged by Puta and office-bearers of Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association (FAPUASA).

He said that the procession would start from Puta Chowk on Wednesday and would pass through different roads of University of Peshawar and Islamia College University. He said that FAPUASA would also observe strike at all the public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from 11am to 1pm.

Mr Uzair said that leaders of different student organisations also held meeting with Puta and extended their support to it in the ongoing strike.

When asked about insistence of teachers on his removal, the vice-chancellor said that actually he put financial and administrative affairs of UoP on right direction and stopped different allowances, which the teachers were getting illegally for the last many years.

He said that teachers used to get the revenue generated from the Puta Hall, a guest house, a marriage hall, parking lot, a café and gem. “However, I diverted the revenue to the kitty of the university, which has annoyed the teachers,” he said.

He said that scions of UoP employees used to get free education in the university and its constituent colleges and schools. “Now I have directed the relevant authorities to receive 20 to 30 per cent fee from the children of the employees,” he added.

Prof Idrees said when he assumed charge as vice-chancellor of UoP in December 2020, the university’s budget was facing Rs1.3 billion deficit and administration was unable to pay salaries to employees.

“I remember that we had paid only the basic salary to the employees in the month of January 2021 as there was no money,” he said. He added that owing to corrective measure taken by the administration, the university budget was surplus with Rs300 million.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2023