Unprecedented demands

By Raqta, On e-mail
18 March 2004, 18:00 PM
The attack on Dr. Azad was an unprecedented action and of the most serious nature. The fact is that it is a symptom of the deteriorating health of our nation, a very severe one. The teachers have rightly gone on strike but there are people who called for the withdrawal of the strike. Those who called for the withdrawal either do not realise the seriousness of the attack or ignore the fact.

Unprecedented action calls for unprecedented reaction. The teachers need unprecedented reaction to let the masterminds of the attack know that they will not sit still and pretend nothing has happened. Otherwise, attacks on professors might become all too common and easy like so many other evils in the country accepted as a normal part of everyday life.

Some possible unprecedented reactions: Most importantly, the teachers can demand that the post of Vice Chancellor be made non-political, that is the government should no longer appoint a Vice Chancellor. They can also demand the withdrawal of police from the university who provide no security and attack students and teachers (Dr. Anwar, Biochemistry) and replace them with a security force directly under their authority. There are many other demands open to the teachers but the two above would be unprecedented.