Pakistan: Islamia University Bahawalpur staff held for possessing drugs, 5500 obscene videos of women, kidnapping girls

In Pakistan, the Baghdadul Jadid Police in the Bahawalpur City of Punjab, Pakistan arrested officials of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) for possessing drugs, objectionable videos and images of IUB female students and women staff members.

 

 

The police claimed that a “group of teachers” of the university was involved in the sale of drugs and sexual exploitation of female students and teachers.

 

Reports suggest that the incident came to the light on June 28 when a car was stopped at a police checkpoint in Baghdadul Jadid. The car driver tried to turn around when he saw the cops, but the police caught him on the spot. On examination of the vehicle, the police discovered aphrodisiacs and 10 g of ice in his possession.

 

The driver has been identified as IUB Chief Security Officer Syed Ejaz Hussain Shah. He has been posted as Chief Security in Islamia University for about 7 years.

 

The city police then registered a case under Section 9(2)1 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997 and began an investigation into the case. The police in the FIR mentioned that the accused had two mobile phones and both contained several derogatory videos of women in them.

 

During interrogation, Shah, a retired army major confessed that the objectionable pictures and the videos were of the officials of IUB’s various departments and girl students.

 

 

 

Later on last Friday, July 22 the Police are said to have conducted raids at the University to arrest two other officials on similar charges. The other two arrested persons have been identified as Finance Director Abu Bakar and Transport Incharge Muhammad Altaf. The two during the investigation also confirmed that they were in possession of drugs and derogatory videos of university women. The two were also booked and arrested by the police under Section 9(2)1 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997.

 

On other hand, the police action against the university officials prompted Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Athar Mehboob to write a letter to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar, requesting the IG to constitute a high-level inquiry team to investigate the arrests.

 

“IUB is following zero tolerance policy for the use of contraband drugs as well as sexual harassment or exploitation,” the letter said, adding that the cases against the officials were ‘bogus’.

 

 

While several reports claim that the police seized phones having around 400 obscene videos, others say that the phone contained around 5000 videos of women from the University.

Meanwhile, a committee has been established by the secretary of the south Punjab Higher Education Department (HED) to look into the charge filed against the chief security officer for “carrying/using the contraband substance” and alleged discovery of inappropriate data from his cell phone. The report is due in three days, per the secretary’s request.