Daily Times

LAHORE: A full bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Friday directed the Punjab government to submit details of its correspondence with the Higher Education Commission Pakistan before it granted approval for setting up of a sub-campus of the Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan (BZU). The bench also directed the BZU vice chancellor (VC) to file his reply till January 17 with details of students who went to its main campus in Multan after closure of its sub-campus in Lahore.

Counsel for BZU submitted that the administration was ready to accommodate students of its Lahore campus in its main campus in Multan. He said that all the students had already been asked to get them enrolled with the BZU by January 20.

Counsel for the students submitted that it was difficult for Lahore-based students to go to Multan. He requested the court to issue directives to the Higher Education Commission to issue no objection certificates (NOCs) to all affected students. He also requested the court to issue directives to the BZU to make arrangements for the students to continue their education in Lahore campus.

Meanwhile, HEC Chairman Dr Mukhtar Ahmed told the court that that commission had not issued NOC for setting up the sub-campus, and had already sent circulars to all authorities concerned for closure of “illegal” sub-campus in Lahore.

He said that the students should get themselves enrolled with the BZU and afterwards mechanism would be made to accommodate them in different institutions. He said that to help the students, the HEC was ready to provide them additional funds for completion of their education.

The bench was hearing a petition of students against the BZU administration after Higher the Education Commission of Pakistan had declared it illegal and the campus was closed. The petitioners has claimed that their future is at stake and no one is inclined to redress their grievances.