Daily Times

Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) chairman on Saturday, condemned the death of Sargodha University (SU) head Professor Javed Ahmed while in custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

PBC Vice Chairman Kamran Murtaza and PBC Executive Committee Chairman Shabir Shar strongly condemned the death, stating that “such glaring maltreatment and torture of an educationist at the hands of NAB and then jail officials which caused his death speaks a lot of the inhumane treatment of the anti-graft agency and the jail officials towards accused persons during the course of investigation”.

The bar leaders urged the federal government and the apex court for ordering a high-level inquiry into the incident and asked them to award the officials responsible exemplary punishments.

Professor Muhammad Javed Ahmed died of cardiac arrest, while in judicial remand.

Professor Javed was lodged at Camp Jail, where he complained of chest pain, jail authorities and NAB said. He was shifted to Services Hospital for treatment but could not survive.

Professor Javed was in jail on judicial remand in connection with SU’s illegal campuses case since October. He and other accused in the case faced charges of establishing illegal sub-campuses under the public-private partnership policy and jeopardising the future of thousands of students.

SU former vice chancellor Dr Muhammad Akram Chaudhry, SU former registrar Brigadier (r) Rao Jamil Asghar, SU Administration Director Muhammad Akram, SU Mandi Bahauddin Chief Executive Officer Waris Nadeem and Naeem Mukhtar were the co-accused in the case.

According to NAB, Professor Javed had been in judicial remand since October and was in good health before he was taken into custody. Expressing grief over his passing, NAB strongly condemned the notion that the professor passed away in its custody.

“The deceased had been shifted to jail in good health,” it said in a statement. “According to regulations, jail authorities do not take custody of a suspect if his health is deteriorating,” the statement added.

Published in Daily Times, December 23^rd 2018.