What exactly happened in the Islamia University of Bahawalpur video scandal?
What exactly is the scandal surrounding the allegedly “obscene videos” at Islamia University Bahawalpur?
I was advised not to attend college by my parents. The atmosphere at the university is poor.
Fear and chatter have pervaded the university all day. Talk between faculty and students has changed. Everyone is curious as to what videos and pictures are stored on the mobile.
I contend that even if this is the case, the accused should be punished regardless if there are videos or not.
Under the condition of anonymity, some Islamia University students from Bahawalpur, Punjab province, Pakistan, made these claims to the BBC.
She recently weighed in on the purportedly pornographic videos that were allegedly found on a university official’s mobile.
A representative of Islamia University’s mobile phone allegedly contained “at least 400 obscene videos and pictures of girls,” according to the Bahawalpur police, and further action will be taken after the forensic report.
Three different cases have been filed by the police so far for the possession of ice by three Islamia University officials. The university administration, however, has refuted all of these claims, calling them “organised conspiracies” and “retaliatory actions.”
Two months ago, a professor was detained on suspicion of possessing ice; he was released on bail, but since then, police have detained two additional officials on the same suspicion.
What is the real story behind this scandal, exactly?
When the BBC enquired about the situation, Umar Saleem, a spokesman for the Bahawalpur police, said that “the police have recovered at least four obscene videos and pictures from the mobile phone of a senior official of the university, which are believed to be of various officials and students of the university.”
The police also asserted that they had found drugs on the same university official, and they said that the official had been detained, a case had been filed, and additional investigation was ongoing.
On the other hand, Farooq Basheer Advocate, legal adviser at Bahawalpur Islamia University, describes the police’s accusations as “fabricated and false.”
He claimed in an interview with the BBC that the police have yet to be able to show even a single video that has been recovered from the phone of the university official that is currently in their custody.
He asserts that such a thing does not exist and that the university’s media trial should not go forward.
The videos that were recovered from the university official’s phone, however, have all been sent for a forensic report, according to Umar Salim, a spokesperson for the Bahawalpur police, and after receiving this report, more provisions will be added to the already filed case.
“S3x pills, ice, and obscene videos,” according to the police, were found.
A case has been filed under the Narcotics Act against a senior university official as a result of the police’s complaint on behalf of Bahawalpur Ulysses.
Sub-inspector Muhammad Afzal Nawaz is the plaintiff in the case. According to him, at the Baghdad-Jadeed turn in Bahawalpur, where he was on duty with other police officers, a white car was being signalled to stop by the police. However, the driver of the car attempted to quickly turn around from the wrong side of the road.
Sub-Inspector Muhammad Afzal’s complaint notes that “when the police stopped this vehicle, there was only one person in the vehicle, and during the search of which a number of black wallets and five pills used for s3x were recovered.”
The case record indicates that during the purse search, crystal ice weighing 10 grammes and wrapped in clear wax paper was discovered.
The FIR also states that “two mobile phones were also recovered from the vehicle, which, when examined on-site, allegedly contained countless obscene videos and pictures of women.”
The FIR alleges that the accused acknowledged having videos of various female students and university employees on his phone while introducing himself as the chief security officer of Islamia University.
The accused allegedly admitted in the FIR to using s3x pills and crystal ice for personal use as well as being involved in their sale.
The police claim that the lab has received all of the recovered items, including the mobile phone, for a forensic report.
University is being targeted by organised crime
The legal counsel for Islamia University is Farooq Basheer Advocate. He referred to the situation in his BBC interview as a “organised conspiracy” against the university.
According to him, there are currently a record-breaking 17,000 students enrolled in the university.
It appears as though an organised mafia is planning something because the university is currently making money.
Farooq Bashir asserted that “this incident has come to light” and that “a university professor was arrested on the charge of ice some time ago.”
In defending the university’s chief security officer and the defendants in this case, he claimed that during his seven years on the job, no complaints have been made against him. He has no criminal history, and neither do the police.
Farooq Bashir has filed written complaints with the Inspector General of Punjab Police and the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court regarding the Advocate Police.
In his BBC interview, he stated that “classrooms, exports, and departments of our university.” There are thousands of CCTV cameras installed all over. We demand the formation of an independent investigation team, and after that, we are prepared to give them access to the entire file.
S3xual harassment and drug abuse are not tolerated in the university, he claimed.
“I do not have a record of requests and decisions on harassment during one year, but it is not tolerated in the university, and during seven years, not a single request came against the official who was arrested,” the speaker claimed.
According to Farooq Basheer Advocate, the senior officials who were arrested work for a large organisation; consequently, there may be videos made based on complaints that have been made. He did add, though, that “these might be videos in which a student is harassing a student and the video has come as a complaint.”
In response to the BBC’s inquiry about the university’s position, Umair Salim, a spokesman for the Bahawalpur police, stated that “our position is contained in the registered FIR and the incident is still being investigated.”
Everybody wants to know what videos and pictures are on mobile.
The university’s and the police’s divergent positions have complicated rather than clarified the situation. Due to the rumours, anxiety has been spreading among the Islamia University students.
Under the condition of anonymity, BBC spoke with a few female students at the university.
After the incident, my parents advised me not to enrol in college, the student claimed. The atmosphere at the university is poor. However, I have arrived at the university.
Many of my friends, according to him, were denied permission from their parents to attend the university.
Another student claimed that chatter and fear permeated the entire day at the university. Different staff members and students are having divergent conversations. A statement is being made. Everyone is curious as to what videos and pictures are on the phone and why they were kept there.
This student claimed that she does not know what to say or do. But if that’s the case, in my opinion, the accused should be punished regardless and these videos shouldn’t be released.
The university’s Security official, according to the police, was detained
A member of Islamia University Bahawalpur’s transport department is allegedly among those who were detained, according to the Bahawalpur police. The man was accused of having “discharged eight grammes of ice” and holding a senior position at the university, according to the lawsuit.
In response to the third complaint filed against the university administration, Farooq Basheer Advocate, the university’s legal counsel, confirmed the arrest and stated that “it is not a transport in-charge etc. (but) someone holding a lower position who was arrested earlier and has now been arrested.”
He also described the arrest as a “retaliatory action” on the part of the police.
While the Bahawalpur police spokesperson claimed that their agency was only working to protect children’s futures, they also claimed that they had “all the evidence,” which would eventually come to light.
It should be noted that one of the nation’s oldest universities is Islamia University Bahawalpur.
The institution was initially known as Jamia Abbasia and changed its name to Islamia University Bahawalpur in 1975.
According to the university spokesman, a total of 65,000 students are enrolled in this university’s various campuses and departments, which are located in Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar, and Liaquatpur.
More than 5,000 teaching and non-teaching staff members work in the 148 departments that make up this university.
