University to fine students caught near opposite sex

ISLAMABAD (Staff Report) - The University of Swat has alerted students of a fine for sitting or walking with members of the opposite sex, both on and off campus.

According to a notice pasted at the university, which the HEC ranked at 124th position in Pakistan in 2012, students may be fined up to Rs5,000 in case of violation.



Moreover, the parents will also be called for an emergency meeting by the university administration, according to the document signed by Chief Proctor Hazrat Bilal.

The University of Swat is a public sector university. The main campus of the university is situated in Saidu Sharif, 2 km away from main city Mingora, Swat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.



Similar moves have been made by other HEC-ranked universities in Pakistan. Earlier, Pakistan’s currently second-best university the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) had made it mandatory for female students to wear ‘dupatta’ and banned them from wearing ‘jeans’ on their campus in Islamabad.



In Sep 2013, nearly a dozen students in NUST were also fined because of different reasons, including smoking and eating in labs.

Despite challenges, Swat long been a center of education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Even in the days when militants dominated the valley, both boys and girls were able to continue their education.

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, also hails from Swat Valley.

However, soon after the notice was issued, the Vice Chancellor of University of Swat, Dr Jan Bakht, ordered an explanation call to Chief Proctor Hazrat Bilal for issuing the notification without his permission, spokesperson for University of Swat stated.