As faculty members and teachers, we are extremely concerned about the events that have taken place over the last few days at universities across Pakistan, which signal a closure of intellectual space within the country. Between April 12th and 13th four separate but related instances of repression took place on university campuses in different parts of the country.
In the first instance, an event entitled ‘Ethnic Rights, New Social Movements, and the State of the Federation in Pakistan,’ which was supposed to be held at Habib University in Karachi on April 13th was forcibly cancelled only an hour before the event was due to be held after a visit from state functionaries. This event was intended as a teach-in and panel discussion in which various new social movements emerging across the country would be analyzed and discussed by experts from the field. Not only was the event abruptly cancelled, one of the guest speakers was forced off campus by the university security despite the fact that it was the university that had invited him in the first place.
In the second instance, an event that was planned to be held at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, also on April 13th, which was a commemoration of the student who was brutally murdered by a mob one year ago at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mashal Khan, was also forcibly cancelled on the same day the event was due to be held. This event was planned in order for students to come together and mourn the loss of a fellow student who dedicated his short life to raising his voice in the struggle for peace and justice.
In the third instance, a colleague who was working as an Assistant Professor at Punjab University in the Department of Sociology, Dr. Ammar Ali Jan, was suddenly fired with no official reason given by the university administration. Dr. Jan, who received his PhD from Cambridge University, had been working tirelessly alongside students since July 2017 despite not having received any pay in order to promote the idea of non-violence and critical thinking. His abrupt dismissal was both disrespectful and humiliating and raises serious concerns about the treatment of faculty members at all universities.
Finally, in the fourth instance, faculty and administration at Gomal University in DI Khan were paid a visit by state functionaries and questioned about the content of their courses. The faculty and administration were given a warning to not teach subjects that would encourage critical thinking amongst the students. This direct intervention on a university campus by state authorities, which is an attempt to stifle critical thought and hamper learning, is extremely troubling to say the least.
All four events are part of a wider trend that stifles critical thinking and discussion on university campuses. As faculty members, we believe the university must be a space where faculty and students are free to share ideas and engage in thoughtful analysis of pressing social issues without experiencing fear or intimidation. The function of the university is to foster an atmosphere in which ideas are respectfully shared and rigorous research and analysis is encouraged. It is only through open discussion and debate that our most pressing social and political problems will be properly understood and diagnosed. The future of our country rests on how well we train our students as thinkers and analysts. It is for these reasons that the events of recent days are so troubling. As faculty members we strongly condemn the intimidation and repression taking place in universities at the moment, and we urge the relevant authorities to take action against those responsible and to ensure that our universities remain free from outside interference in the future.
Signed by the following faculty members and academics:
In the first instance, an event entitled ‘Ethnic Rights, New Social Movements, and the State of the Federation in Pakistan,’ which was supposed to be held at Habib University in Karachi on April 13th was forcibly cancelled only an hour before the event was due to be held after a visit from state functionaries. This event was intended as a teach-in and panel discussion in which various new social movements emerging across the country would be analyzed and discussed by experts from the field. Not only was the event abruptly cancelled, one of the guest speakers was forced off campus by the university security despite the fact that it was the university that had invited him in the first place.
In the second instance, an event that was planned to be held at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, also on April 13th, which was a commemoration of the student who was brutally murdered by a mob one year ago at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mashal Khan, was also forcibly cancelled on the same day the event was due to be held. This event was planned in order for students to come together and mourn the loss of a fellow student who dedicated his short life to raising his voice in the struggle for peace and justice.
In the third instance, a colleague who was working as an Assistant Professor at Punjab University in the Department of Sociology, Dr. Ammar Ali Jan, was suddenly fired with no official reason given by the university administration. Dr. Jan, who received his PhD from Cambridge University, had been working tirelessly alongside students since July 2017 despite not having received any pay in order to promote the idea of non-violence and critical thinking. His abrupt dismissal was both disrespectful and humiliating and raises serious concerns about the treatment of faculty members at all universities.
Finally, in the fourth instance, faculty and administration at Gomal University in DI Khan were paid a visit by state functionaries and questioned about the content of their courses. The faculty and administration were given a warning to not teach subjects that would encourage critical thinking amongst the students. This direct intervention on a university campus by state authorities, which is an attempt to stifle critical thought and hamper learning, is extremely troubling to say the least.
All four events are part of a wider trend that stifles critical thinking and discussion on university campuses. As faculty members, we believe the university must be a space where faculty and students are free to share ideas and engage in thoughtful analysis of pressing social issues without experiencing fear or intimidation. The function of the university is to foster an atmosphere in which ideas are respectfully shared and rigorous research and analysis is encouraged. It is only through open discussion and debate that our most pressing social and political problems will be properly understood and diagnosed. The future of our country rests on how well we train our students as thinkers and analysts. It is for these reasons that the events of recent days are so troubling. As faculty members we strongly condemn the intimidation and repression taking place in universities at the moment, and we urge the relevant authorities to take action against those responsible and to ensure that our universities remain free from outside interference in the future.
Signed by the following faculty members and academics:
- Nida Kirmani, Associate Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Sarah Suhail, Visiting Faculty, Lahore School of Economics
- Hassan Javid, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Anushay Malik, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Faiza Mushtaq, Assistant Professor, IBA Karachi
- Arsalan Khan, Assistant Professor, Union College
- Hammal Aslam, Assistant Professor, BUITEMS, Quetta
- Tania Saeed, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Afiya Zia, Sessional Lecturer, University of Toronto, Canada.
- Sanaa Alimia, Research Fellow, Leibniz Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin; Visiting and Associated Faculty, University of Peshawar
- Amen Jaffer, Assistant Professor, LUMS
- Adnan Khan, Assistant professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Mahvish Ahmad, PhD Candidate, Cambridge University
- Iftikhar Dadi, Associate Professor, Cornell University
- Gwendolyn Kirk, Associate Lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Ali Raza, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Imdad Hussain, Assistant Professor, Forman Christian College University, Lahore
- Omar Kasmani, Post-doctoral Research Associate, Free University of Berlin, Germany
- Babar A. Qureshi, Visiting Faculty, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Aimen Bucha, Lecturer, Beaconhouse National University
- Waqas H. Butt, PhD Candidate, University of California, San Diego, USA
- Sarah Eleazar, visiting faculty, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
- Shayan Rajani, PhD Candidate, Tufts University
- Qalandar Bux Memon, Assistant Professor, Forman Christian College, Lahore
- Ameem Lutfi, Global Studies Fellow, Duke University.
- Tabitha Spence, Teaching and Research Fellow, Lahore School of Economics
- Muhammad Azeem, Assistant Professor, LUMS
- Sara Shroff, PhD. Candidate, New School
- Noaman G. Ali, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto
- Shozab Raza, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto
- Alia Amirali, Lecturer, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
- Tooba Syed, Lecturer, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
- Amina Jamal, Associate Professor, Ryerson University, Toronto
- Barbara Heron, Professor, York University, Toronto
- Shehnoor Khurram, PhD candidate, York University, Toronto, Canada.
- Marvi Shaikh, lecturer, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.
- Shafqat Ali Kadri, Associate professor, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
- Dr Taimur Rahman, Assistant Professor, LUMS
- Sadaf Aziz, Assistant Professor, LUMS
- Elleni Zeleke, Assistant Professor, Whitman College
- Azzah Ahmed, PhD Candidate, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
- Alissa Trotz, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
- Hafeez Jamali, Assistant Professor, Habib University
- Riaz Ahmed, Associate Professor and Chair Applied Chemistry, Karachi University
- Fawad Khan, Adjunct Faculty at the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi
- Ayyaz Mallick, Visiting Researcher, Habib University
- Nosheen Ali, Assistant Professor, AKU-IED
- Shahana Rajani, Visiting Faculty, IBA Karachi
- Nadir Cheema, SOAS London University & Bloomsbury Pakistan
- Tayyaba Jiwani, PhD Candidate, University of Toronto
- Zahra Malkani, Lecturer, Habib University
- Ayaz Qureshi, Lecturer, University of Edinburgh
- Abdul Aijaz, GC University, Lahore
- Nausheen H Anwar, Associate Professor City & Regional Planning, SSLA, IBA
- Fahd Ali, Assistant Professor, Habib University
- Ali Usman Qasmi, Associate Professor, History, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Nousheen Zaidi, Associate Professor, Punjab University.
- Noman Baig, Assistant Professor, Habib University
- Zainab Moulvi, Lecturer, Beaconhouse National University
- Raheem ul Haque, Research Fellow, FC College
- Aasim Sajjad, Associate Professor, Quaid-i-Azam University
- Khurram Husain, Visiting Faculty, Habib University
- Noam Chomsky, Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Amar Sindhu, Lecturer, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
- Marvi Shaikh, Lecturer, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
- Shafqat Ali Kadri, Assistant Professor, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
- Navtej Purewal, Reader, SOAS University of London
- Shan Aman-Rana, PhD student, London School of Economics.
- Hiba Akbar, Lecturer, University of Management and Technology, Lahore.
- Hajra Cheema, Lecturer, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore
- Kamil Ahsan, PhD Candidate, University of Chicago
- Kristin Plys, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
- Aima Yusaf, Assistant Professor, Lahore College for Women University
- Emad Ansari, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Faiz Younas, Lecturer, Punjab University, Lahore
- Maryam Wasif Khan, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Seerat Fatima, MPhil Scholar, Trinity College Dublin
- Kai Hebel, Assistant Professor, Leiden University, Leiden/Netherlands
- Haya Fatima Iqbal, Visiting Faculty, Habib University
- Rahma Muhammad Mian, Lecturer, Habib University
- Gulnaz Anjum, Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
- Sameen Ali, Teaching Fellow, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Azhar Imran, Lecturer, Forman Christian College University and Visiting Faculty, PU.
- Dr. Jody L. Kerchner, Professor of Music Education, Oberlin College & Conservatory of Music.
- Shama Dossa, Associate Professor, Habib University
- Aima Khosa, visiting faculty, Beaconhouse National University
- Amelie Blom, Adjunct Faculty, Sciences Po, INALCO, Paris
- Nudrat Kamal, Lecturer, Habib University
- Shabana Nisar, Visiting Research Scholar, Harvard University, USA
- Sardar Hussain, Lecturer in Philosophy, Punjab Higher Education Deptt.
- Maughn Gregory, Professor of Educational Foundations, Montclair State University
- Virinder Kalra, Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick
- Khola Cheema, Senior Lecturer in History, University of Lahore.
- Neelam Hussain Asst Prof (rtc) English Literature, Kinnaird College Lahore
- Gulraiz Khan, Lecturer, Habib University Karachi
- Bilal Tanweer, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Kaveri Qureshi, Research Associate, Oxford University
- Alexis Saba, Associate Instructor, PhD Candidate, Indiana University
- Richard Sandbrook, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto
- Gregory Albo, Associate Professor, York University
- Nighat Dad, Affiliate, Berkman Klien Centre of Internet and Society, Harvard University
- Chris Moffat, Lecturer in History, Queen Mary University of London
- Aisha Ahmad, Adjunct Faculty LUMS, PhD Candidate University of Oxford
- Abdullah Qureshi, Doctoral Candidate, Aalto University
- Aftab Alam, Assistant Professor, University of Delhi
- Anindya Raychaudhuri, Lecturer in English, University of St Andrews
- Umair Bilal, Lecturer, Habib University
- Sobia Ahmad Kaker, Lecturer in Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London
- Ziaullah Hamdard, Lecturer, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan
- Areesha Banglani, Visiting Faculty, IBA, Karachi
- Ramsha Ashraf, Faculty Foundation University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
- Sarwat Viqar, Faculty, Department of Humanities, John Abbott College, Canada
- Faizullah Jan, Associate Professor, University of Peshawar
- Rosita Armytage, Research Fellow, Durham University
- Emma Varley, Associate Professor, Brandon University
- Saadia Toor, Associate Professor, City University of New York
- Nauman Naqvi, Assistant Professor, Habib University
- Salman Haider, Lecturer, Fatima Jinnah Women’s University
- Sara Humayun, Assistant Professor, Habib University
- Kiran Ahmed, Assistant Professor, Quaid-i-Azam University
- Sohail Bawani, Senior Instructor, Agha Khan University
- Alyzay Sultan, Teaching Fellow, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Salman Hussain, Doctoral Student, University of Michigan
- Bérénice Guyot-Réchard, Lecturer, King’s College, London
- Rishad Mahmood, Visiting Faculty, Institute of Business Management, Karachi
- Sara Baig, Associate Lecturer, Fatima Jinnah Women University
- Cara Cilano, Professor and Chair, Michigan State University
- Noor Habib, Teaching Associate, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Furrukh Khan, Associate Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Raza Rumi, Visiting Faculty, Cornell Institute for Public Affairs
- Zafar Ullah, Assistant Professor, BUITEMS, Quetta
- Tabinda Khan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Sara Haq, Doctoral Candidate, University of Maryland
- HM Naqvi, Visiting Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Aftab Nasir, PhD Scholar, Bonn University/Visiting Lecturer, Forman Christian College
- Zoha Waseem, PhD candidate, King’s College, London
- Yasser Kureshi, PhD candidate, Brandeis University
- Paul Rollier, Associate Professor, University of Oslo
- Akmal Khan Kakar, Lecturer, BUITEMS, Quetta
- Nida Wahid, Associate Faculty, Center of Biomedical Ethics and Culture, SIUT, Karachi
- Hashim Kaleem, Teaching Fellow, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Maham Javaid, Teaching Fellow, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Rubina Jasani, Lecturer, University of Manchester
- Sara Mahmood, Senior Research Analyst, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore
- Musa Jadoon, Assistant Professor, COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology
- Rabia Malik, Post-Doctoral Researcher, NYU Abu Dhabi
- Irfan Khan, Assistant Professor, Lahore University of Management Sciences
- Abira Ashfaq, Faculty, Szabist Law School
- Fazal Rizvi, Visiting Lecturer, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
- Maryam Siddiq, Research Associate, Heriot Watt University, UK
- Anwar Ali Arqam, Visiting Faculty, Habib University
- Sidra Kamran, PhD Candidate, The New School, New York
- Andaleeb Rizvi, Visiting Faculty, University of Karachi
- Junaid Babar Lecturer at NIPS, Quaid-i-Azam University
- Mariam Durrani, Assistant Professor, Hamilton College
- Kyla Pasha, PhD Candidate, Arizona State University
- Abeer Pervaiz, PhD Researcher, Free University of Bolzano, Italy
- Sadia Bajwa, Doctoral Candidate, Humboldt University, Berlin
- Naimatullah Hashmi, Professor, PMAS Arid Agriculture University
- Syed Rashid Ali, Associate Professor, PMAS Arid Agriculture University
- Tara Weinberg, Doctoral Student, University of Michigan
- Umair Javed, PhD Candidate, London School of Economics
- Ali Nobil Ahmad, Fellow, Zentrum Moderner Orient, Berlin
- Palvashay Sethi, Lecturer, IBA, Karachi
- Nasir Ahmad, Associate Professor, UET, Peshawar
- Ammar Rashid, Visiting Faculty, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad
- Naseeba Umar, Visiting Faculty, Forman Christian College, Lahore
- Abdoumaliq Simone, Research Professor, Max Planck Institute, Gottingen
- Madiha Tahir, PhD Candidate, Columbia University, New York
- Asma Abbas, Associate Professor, Bard College at Simon's Rock
- Ali Sajjad, Lecturer, IPE Roots IVY Flagship Campus, Faisalabad