Student Expelled For Protesting Online Classes In Islamabad
A student was expelled last week from the Capital University of Science and Technology for raising voice against online classes on social media.
Usman Mehmood was among a large number of students who had participated in a social media campaign against online classes. Many students had gathered outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) earlier in Islamabad to protest online classes as well as exorbitant fees being charged by universities in spite of students taking classes from home.
However, the Capital University of Science and Technology sent a letter to Usman Mehmood last week and officially rusticated him for using “social media to instigate other students of the University [sic] to physically protest online classes”.
PPP leader Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Human Rights, condemned this decision from the varsity and asked HEC to reinstate the expelled student immediately. He reassured the student that he was well within his constitutional right to protest and raise his voice. He said failure to reinstate Usman Mehmood in the university will lead to the Vice-Chancellor of Capital University of Science and Technology to be brought before the human rights committee.
Your case will be shared with #HEC and if not reinstated, whoever is VC of ur university, he/she will b called to the committee. You were well within ur constitutional right to protest and raise ur voice https://t.co/64bV2mpNN7
— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@Mustafa_PPP) June 9, 2020
Committee found expulsion of students as penalty for raising their voice, to be unlawful and violative of their constitutional rights. Chairman HEC has been directed to reinstate them immediately.
— Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar (@Mustafa_PPP) June 9, 2020
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