Bahauddin Zakariya University’s former faculty member Junaid Hafeez has been under trial for a blasphemy allegation since 2013. The case has been heard by six judges so far, and there are reports that it is likely to be transferred to a different judge. Hafeez’s counsel has pleaded with the court to not proceed with the transfer decision on grounds that it will further prolong the trial that, according to the counsel, is in its final stages. On Tuesday, the court postponed a decision on Advocate Asad Jamal’s plea for a week even after the latter’s point of view was seconded by a public prosecutor. That Hafeez’s case is politically motivated is beyond doubt to all those who’re aware of the chequered history of our university campuses. Successive governments have since the 1950s imposed authoritarian controls on campuses, suppressing debate and academic inquiry. Right-wing student groups have been used for this purpose by various regimes. It was one such group, notorious for its moral policing of campuses, that was involved in raising allegations against Hafeez as well. And a few months after the case went to trial, Hafeez’s former counsel Advocate Rashid Rahman was assassinated by two unidentified gunmen in his office. To this day, law enforcers haven’t made any progress in tracking down Rahman’s killers. Given the security risks involved, a trial of such a nature ought not to have commenced in the district where it originated. If it still cannot be transferred to the provincial capital, the least our judicial authorities could do is to ensure that it is concluded as soon as possible. Anything that can delay proceedings must be avoided, including needless shifting of the case from one judicial officer to another, particularly when there is no absolute legal requirement for such a transfer at the moment. * Published in Daily Times, January 24th 2018.