Baloch student leader approaches Lahore court, questions authorities for her suspension by University
Aug 18, 2024
Lahore [Pakistan], August 18 : A female Baloch student leader, Sadia Baloch of the Punjab University (PU) has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, against the notification of suspension from the PU, the Dawn reported.
The notification of her suspension also tagged her as a 'miscreant student.'
Sadia Baloch, who is an LLB student at the University Law College in PU has filed a petition through Advocate Asad Jamal and has questioned the powers of the PU Acting Vice Chancellor, Khalid Mahmood and the head of Security Office, retired Col Ubaid Masood, for suspending the students.
According to the Dawn news report, the petition filed by her stated that such powers can only be exercised by the disciplinary committee and for a limited time that too after following due process.
The petition referenced the rules in the schedules of the Punjab University Act, which state that the head of security's practice of surveillance on students in the name of keeping them 'under observation' violates several articles of the Pakistani constitution.
This petition by Baloch also argues that the notification to suspend her must have been issued by the office of PU's registrar on instructions from the PU Acting Vice Chancellor, Khalid Mahmood two months ago but she was never informed about the decision taken against her, based on an undertaking that the university asks from every student at the time of admission.
Similarly, the petition also asserts that this is unconstitutional and illegal because it places a prohibition on the right to political expression by enforcing them to leave the fundamental right of freedom of speech, right to association and peaceful assembly as guaranteed by the constitution of the country, Dawn News reported.
The so-called undertaking by the PU illegally empowers the VC with immense power to expel students without notice in violation of Article 10A of the Pakistani Constitution.
Baloch currently seeks a declaration from the court against the undertaking of PU. It also urges for a court order to be issued to the PU to enable her to sit the annual examinations starting from Aug 22.
Reportedly the hearing for the petition of Sadia Baloch has been fixed before Justice Shakil Ahmad of the Lahore High Court on Aug 19.
