LAHORE – Punjab University Academic Staff Association (PU ASA) extended boycott of classes till Thursday in protest of attack on two senior teachers by Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba (IJT) activists a few days back.
PU ASA held its general body meeting on Monday. The meeting was presided over by PU ASA president Dr Amer Sarwar and attended by about 400 hundred teachers. The meeting unanimously decided to boycott classes till Thursday.
The teachers demanded the government to banish political elements from the university. Talking on the occasion, Dr Amer Sarwar said that the police had arrested some students responsible for the attack however they had been released on bail. He said Punjab government had formed a committee comprising of provincial law minister Rana Sana Ullah, CCPO and MPA Khawaja Imran Nazeer to probe the issue.
Later, the teachers took out a protest rally. According to the general secretary of PU ASA, the association will hold its general body meeting on Thursday in order to formulate further strategy.
Meanwhie, Islami Jamiat-e-Tulaba (IJT) activists staged a protest demonstration at Campus Bridge, University of the Punjab here on Monday for not yet made arrest of the killers of their colleague Awias Aqeel.
The IJT workers took out protest rally from PU Hostels and stated sit-in on the Canal Road, causing massive traffic jam on both sides of the road. The protesters were chanting slogans against Punjab police and PU administration. They also demanded of termination of Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran. Addressing the protesters, IJT leader Haris Saeed said that despite span of eight days, Punjab police had failed to arrest the killers. He demanded restoration of educational activities in the varsity immediately.
Sunday, 3 June 2012
PU teachers extend boycott - The Nation, Pakistan
Thursday, 10 May 2012
EU sports commissioner to boycott Euro 2012 matches in Ukraine - Interfax
European Commissioner for Sports Androulla Vassiliou has joined the growing list of European politicians who say they will not attend the matches of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship in Ukraine in protest against the prosecution of opposition figures in the country.
The European commissioner said this in a statement passed to Interfax-Ukraine in Brussels on Friday.
According to Vassiliou, the past few days have seen a lot of reports of politicians announcing their plans not to attend the competition in protest against the political situation in Ukraine.
She said she shared their concerns, and had decided that it would be inappropriate for her as the European commissioner for sports to attend any matches in Ukraine under the present circumstances. This position is shared by both the president and other members of the European Commission, she said.
The commissioner said that she fully supported the statement made last week by EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton concerning the situation with former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
At the same time, Vassiliou, like millions of sports fans, is looking forward to Euro 2012. The commissioner said she intended to attend one of the matches in Poland.
<<< back 04.05.2012Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Sports minister Hugh Robertson could boycott Ukraine during Euro 2012 - Telegraph.co.uk
The political stand-off is the latest embarrassment for a country whose co-hosting of Uefa’s premier tournament has been dogged with controversy.
Tymoshenko began a seven-year prison sentence last September in what many key European politicians have described as a politically motivated move driven by the president, Viktor Yanukovych.
A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “The Government is keeping the situation under review in consultation with European Union partners.”
If Robertson chooses not to head to Ukraine to watch England, whose three Group D matches are being held in Donetsk and Kiev, he will be joining the Dutch royal family, the European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, and Austrian government officials in the stay-away protest.
Tymoshenko has allegedly been denied appropriate medical assistance for the back pain she is suffering, which may be related to a slipped disc. The developments came as Amnesty International last night warned of “widespread police criminality” in Ukraine.
Amnesty has highlighted what it described as “numerous cases in Euro 2012 host cities in which police have tortured people in an attempt to extort money, extract a confession, or simply because of the victims’ sexuality or ethnic origin”.
John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s director for Europe and Central Asia, delivered a stark warning for fans planning to travel to the tournament, saying: “The Ukrainian government must take action now to stop widespread police criminality. Failure to do so will encourage them to continue acting as a law unto themselves and put Euro 2012 fans in danger from a force that is out of control.”
Although the other co-host, Poland, has prepared a smooth delivery for the tournament, Ukraine has presented a rocky road for Uefa’s quadrennial showpiece.
After years of delayed preparations and failed infrastructure improvements, the spotlight again fell on Ukraine last week when bombs exploded in Tymoshenko’s home region, injuring dozens in what was an incident the UK embassy in Kiev declared as “unprecedented”.
The political row intensified on Wednesday when Germany’s foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, scorned the Ukrainian president. He said: “I already wonder how Yanukovych can imagine celebrating carefree football matches in Kharkiv, while Yulia Tymoshenko, right next door, does not receive much-needed medical help. I can imagine vividly the reaction of viewers around the world.”
Uefa, however, distanced itself from the row. A spokesman said: “Uefa has no position and will not take any regarding the political situation in Ukraine, and will not interfere with internal government matters.”