ISLAMABAD: A city court Tuesday ordered the three female law students fighting their expulsion by the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) to vacate the university’s hostel within three days.
Their counsel, Sher Afzal Khan, said he will challenge the order, issued by the additional district and sessions judge, Rafaqat Awan, in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today (Wednesday).
Judge Awan, who six weeks ago had restrained the university from evicting the plaintiffs from their hostel rooms, would hear their main plea against expulsion from the university on Friday.
Plaintiff Neelam Jahan of Waziristan doing PhD, Rumana Akbar of Karak, LLM, and Habiba Shabbir of Silakot LLB, were expelled from by the university on January 1, a week after they allegedly stirred trouble in the hostels.
They were charged with leading a strike after the newly appointed provost, Nighat Shakoor, increased the mess charges and warned the female hostel residents to strictly observe the opening and closing hours.
Some 350 girl students participated in the protest, provoking the IIUI administration to rusticate the alleged three leaders and asked them to leave the hostel.
They obtained a court stay order against their expulsion on January 4.
On Tuesday, IIUI’s counsel Rehanuddin Khan submitted to the court that the complainant were not students of the university as they were rusticated on January 1.
He requested the court to vacate the stay order as, he argued, it provided them justification for living in the hostel without justification.
Plaintiffs’ lawyer Sher Afzal Khan opposed the request, saying vacation of the stay order would push his clients to take up unsafe and expensive rented space.
As for the university’s charge of staging a protest against the girls, he said they had the constitution right of freedom of expression.
A day earlier, the district and sessions judge, Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan, hearing a habeas corpus application, had ordered a court bailiff to recover Neelam allegedly detained in the university hostel by its administration.
After she was recovered, the judge disposed of the petition but allowed her to initiate proceedings against the IIUI administration.
Then the three law students lodged a complaint in police station I-9 against Provost Nighat Shakoor, assistant wardens Adeela and Shaista Gohar, and security in charge of the university of their illegal confinement in their hostel rooms.
On the other hand, the university administration registered a criminal case with the Sabzi Mandi police, charging that the three had threatened the administration with dire consequences.
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