Private university turns into a no-go area
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| Photo by SALMAN MUSHTAQ for The Spokesman |
Ghaznanfar Abbass
RAWALPINDI: The latest no-go area in the country has burst out into the limelight right next to Army Headquarters in Rawalpindi where a reporter of daily The Spokesman, Homer Baloch, was detained by retired Brigadier Maqsood ul Haq and his accomplices including Dr. Ayaz Bhatti at gunpoint for daring to enter the university legally and having the audacity to ask questions about murders at a privately run university.
The TS reporter was following up a news story involving the deaths of vice principal of this college Brig (retd) Sanaullah Khan at the hands of a final-year student and the subsequent death of the suspected student Khurram Shahzad under mysterious circumstances. The reporter went to see the newly appointed vice principal Brig (retd) Maqsoodul Haq for his version and after identifying himself at the gate, he was allowed to enter the university with a visitor’s pass. As the reporter was approaching the VP’s office, armed security guards led him first to see Dr Ayaz Bhatti, head of the department for Community Medicine.
Once Dr Ayaz's heavily guarded door opened, the reporter was shoved inside to face a volley of questions and abuses from Dr Ayaz and his cohorts. The reporter was threatened to surrender his ID cards and then Dr Ayaz let his henchmen loose on the hapless reporter to rough him up for the next few minutes. While the beating continued, Dr Ayaz called the front gate guard and summarily sacked him for letting the reporter into the university. Once the reporter was shaken up properly, he was shoved into a separate room guarded by armed men who kept asking him who sent him to work on "such a story?”
When Dr Ayaz left with his guards to call the police and to say his Friday prayers, the reporter called his office. Dr Ayaz never returned because the rest of the episode was taken over by newly appointed Vice Principal Brig (retd) Maqsoodul Haq who asked the armed guards to bring the reporter to his room.
As TS management approached the retired brigadier and other more senior officials to ensure the safety and release of the reporter, Brigadier Maqsood started misbehaving with them by telling them “I am not afraid of the media”. Brig Maqsood offered to release the reporter and return his confiscated IDs only if he signed an unconditional apology admitting that he came to the university to steal something. He was also threatened to sign a written statement that the episode nor anything related to the university would be made public by him. And these demands were happening in the presence of police officials from Race Course PS while armed guards of the University were coercing the reporter to sign or face dire consequences. Meanwhile, as the management of the newspaper arrived at the University followed by other working journalists, the brigadier let the reporter go free after five hours of detention.
But as The Spokesman management approached the Retired Brigadier and other high ups to ensure safety and release of its reporter, Brigadier Retired Maqsood started misbehaving with them by telling them that “I am not afraid of media”. Several police high ups and those present at the scene of kidnapping were finally approached to find out about the well being of the kidnapped reporter, informed the GM of the daily.
The Spokesman management has filed an application with the Race Course PS against Vice Principal of Ripha Medical Colleges Brig (retd) Maqsoodul Haq and HOD Community Medicine, Dr Ayaz Bhatti for illegal detention/kidnapping of reporter, manhandling, threatening and snatching the official IDs from reporter Homer Baloch. Police did not register any FIR till the filing of this report. When contacted IG Police Punjab, Khan Baig assured the daily's management that he would direct the concerned police officials to register FIR.
The TS reporter was following up a news story involving the deaths of vice principal of this college Brig (retd) Sanaullah Khan at the hands of a final-year student and the subsequent death of the suspected student Khurram Shahzad under mysterious circumstances. The reporter went to see the newly appointed vice principal Brig (retd) Maqsoodul Haq for his version and after identifying himself at the gate, he was allowed to enter the university with a visitor’s pass. As the reporter was approaching the VP’s office, armed security guards led him first to see Dr Ayaz Bhatti, head of the department for Community Medicine.
Once Dr Ayaz's heavily guarded door opened, the reporter was shoved inside to face a volley of questions and abuses from Dr Ayaz and his cohorts. The reporter was threatened to surrender his ID cards and then Dr Ayaz let his henchmen loose on the hapless reporter to rough him up for the next few minutes. While the beating continued, Dr Ayaz called the front gate guard and summarily sacked him for letting the reporter into the university. Once the reporter was shaken up properly, he was shoved into a separate room guarded by armed men who kept asking him who sent him to work on "such a story?”
When Dr Ayaz left with his guards to call the police and to say his Friday prayers, the reporter called his office. Dr Ayaz never returned because the rest of the episode was taken over by newly appointed Vice Principal Brig (retd) Maqsoodul Haq who asked the armed guards to bring the reporter to his room.
As TS management approached the retired brigadier and other more senior officials to ensure the safety and release of the reporter, Brigadier Maqsood started misbehaving with them by telling them “I am not afraid of the media”. Brig Maqsood offered to release the reporter and return his confiscated IDs only if he signed an unconditional apology admitting that he came to the university to steal something. He was also threatened to sign a written statement that the episode nor anything related to the university would be made public by him. And these demands were happening in the presence of police officials from Race Course PS while armed guards of the University were coercing the reporter to sign or face dire consequences. Meanwhile, as the management of the newspaper arrived at the University followed by other working journalists, the brigadier let the reporter go free after five hours of detention.
But as The Spokesman management approached the Retired Brigadier and other high ups to ensure safety and release of its reporter, Brigadier Retired Maqsood started misbehaving with them by telling them that “I am not afraid of media”. Several police high ups and those present at the scene of kidnapping were finally approached to find out about the well being of the kidnapped reporter, informed the GM of the daily.
The Spokesman management has filed an application with the Race Course PS against Vice Principal of Ripha Medical Colleges Brig (retd) Maqsoodul Haq and HOD Community Medicine, Dr Ayaz Bhatti for illegal detention/kidnapping of reporter, manhandling, threatening and snatching the official IDs from reporter Homer Baloch. Police did not register any FIR till the filing of this report. When contacted IG Police Punjab, Khan Baig assured the daily's management that he would direct the concerned police officials to register FIR.
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