LAHORE (Staff Report) – The Punjab Education Minister Rana Mashood Tuesday said that Counter Terrorism Department has released one assistant professor of Punjab University, Dr Umar Nawaz, after initial interrogation while inquiry is underway against two other professors and a student.
On Monday morning as many as three people including two assistant professors and a law student were arrested by the counter terrorism department during a raid in PU premises on suspicion of their links with banned outfits.
In a separate raid a week ago, the CTD team had raided the house of Assistant Professor Ghalib Ata of the Punjab University Institute of Administrative Sciences in Allama Iqbal Town and took him away for interrogation.
Talking to newsmen in Lahore, the minister went on to say that nobody will be charged with a crime he did not commit.
He assured that in-depth investigation will be carried out before reaching any conclusive decision in the case.
Earlier University of the Punjab Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran had stated that Monday’s anti-terrorism raid in university premises was carried out without his permission or prior consent.
Speaking about the arrested professors he said few people are of the opinion that assistant professors Dr Muhammad Hamid and Dr Ghalib Ata had some extremist thoughts but still nobody ever saw with involved in any suspicious activity.
But as far as Dr Umar Nawaz, who was also serving as Superintendent of hostel number one, is concerned nobody is ready to accept that he had any connections with proscribed organisations, he said.
Kamran went on to say if counter-terrorism department had any solid evidences against any of the suspects they should have registered an FIR before arresting them. He further added that the proofs of professors’ involvement in some terrorism related activities must be made public and shared with university administration so that we can also take appropriate measurements.
“We are also patriot just like our security agencies and cooperate with forces in every hour of need but CTD raided in university premises and arrested three of our professors without even informing us,’ he stated.
The vice chancellor, while talking to Dunya News, also said that university administration has always maintained extraordinary security at all campuses and it will be further beefed up following the arrests.
