LAHORE: An academic arbitrary fired by the Punjab University last week has demanded an apology from the university administration for maligning his reputation and raising preposterous allegations agianst him in a statement issued earlier in the day.
In its statement, the PU spokesperson said that Dr Ammar Ali Jan, who holds a PhD in History from Cambridge University, was stopped from teaching because ‘administration had received information that he was fanning anti-state, ethnic and extremist ideas after targeting students and not giving joining as per appointment orders’.
The spokesperson said that Dr Jan had not been fired from the job since he was not regular or contract employee but he pressured the administration for his regular appointment, without participating in the competitive process. He said that it was the policy of administration not to make appointments without advertisement and since January, no appointment had been made in violation of prescribed rules.
Further, the spokesman said against the university’s code of conduct, Dr Jan was not focusing on teaching students, rather ‘he used to choose students whom he could target and preach his extremist ideas’.
In his response posted on Facebook, Dr Jan said, “Rather than admitting its mistake and rectifying its errors, the PU administration continues to mask its lies by making slanderous claims against me. Let me reply to each of their arguments, so that the whole world can see what kind of people are running educational institutions in Pakistan.
“PU’s administration has finally accepted that I was ‘stopped’ (henceforth “fired”) from teaching, rather than the comical claims made earlier that I was never an employee. The reason for firing me was that they received information that I was involved in ‘anti-state’ activities. And the proof? That I conducted some ‘suspicious study circles’.
“The events that I helped organise were initiated on popular demand, since many students were fed up with the ‘seminars’ held by the administration, whose only purpose was to cozy up to ministers and government officials. Of course, forcing students to sit through lectures of ministers is not at all a threat to the education system, nor is conducting research and lectures funded by USAID and foreign embassies a threat to our national sovereignty. But if a few students from humble backgrounds come together, with the support of a sympathetic teacher, to discuss theoretical issues, then such activities are apparently deemed to be ‘suspicious’ .
“If you look at the content of these reading groups, the content is exactly what is taught at any top university around the world. I also brought esteemed scholars from around the world to interact with students at the sociology department.
“The message is clear: they do not want any critical thinking to develop among students on campus… Our country has already suffered a lot, and no other force but Pakistan will suffer if we go down the path of further ruining our public sector institutes.
“As far as the allegation about exacerbating ethnic divisions is concerned, I understand that the administration is pointing towards my involvement with Pashtun students. I am a Punjabi, I have always believed that a teacher is like a doctor, who cannot and should not differentiate between the patients he/she encounters based on their ethnicity or religion. I am proud to have taught students from across the country, with the aim that they come to accept each other’s differences while appreciating the commonalities we all share. That is the only way for a society to be become more cohesive, more united and more peaceful. The support I have among students from all ethnicities is a testament to the fact that I treated my students as students, rather than discriminating based on their linguistic backgrounds.
“The rest of the statement is just a clumsy attempt to cover up their transgression. I applied for an extension of my contract in October, but was told that there are some bureaucratic hurdles in the extension (the same was the case of my colleagues in the department, Dr. Imran Munir and Dr. Rahat Munir, who have degrees from abroad, and have not been paid for the last many months. They quit Punjab University in February).
“The administration should explain how, if a notice was issued to me in January 2018, why it was not ever sent to me? Also, if I was now technically a “visiting faculty”, why was I supervising PhD students (I have all the documents to prove that). And then the most ridiculous statement: “Why did he not demand his pay”? Teachers should not need to demand to be paid, they should just receive their salaries!
“I love my country, and it is infuriating that I have to state this again and again to ward off the slanderous media campaign against me by the PU administration, which puts my life, and more importantly, my reputation at risk.
“I am taking a stand for myself and for thousands of other young people in the system whose talents, rather than being harnessed for the betterment of society, are manipulated by those in power. I demand an immediate apology from the administration. If it is not issued within 48 hours and my name is not cleared from the baseless allegations of working against the country I love, I will take the PU administration to court for defamation. In any case, all of this makes clear that unless citizens come together for their rights, we will not be able to bring the positive change we wish to see in our society.”
Published in Daily Times, April 19th 2018.
