IT is usually said that teachers are builders of a nation. However, in our society teachers are reduced to facing humiliation, detention, tortures and terrorism.
Hassan Janan Baloch, a lecturer in the University of Balochistan, was apprehended on Aug 26 in front of the city centre in Quetta, and thrashed before the public.
He was then dragged to the teacher’ hostel on the university campus where another assistant professor of political science, Mumtaz Baloch, was humiliated by law enforcers who searched his room as if he was a thug or a miscreant.
Then the law enforcers broke open the door of Hassan Janan’s room and searched it.
Later on at a press conference the police declared that they found a TT pistol and hand-grenades in the lecturer’s room.
But the university administration, as well as the administration of the teachers’ hostel, had no information about any of the ammunitions and bombs shown to them.
In such a situation it is difficult to determine the veracity of the claims made by the law enforcers.
Hassan Janan is still behind bars, perhaps facing more brutal tortures and humiliations.
Why should such treatment be meted out to him? Why are the respected being humiliated? Why do the media not show this side of the picture? Why have the pens of intellectuals dried up on this issue?
On the issue of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, entire civil society is furious while the media is using their entire energy to raise this issue and the government of Pakistan is using all its channels to sort out this matter. But what is being done to provide justice to this lecturer? Please help him.
CHAKER HAIDER BALOCH
Quetta
http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/10/letted.htm
Persecution of a lecturer
THIS is apropos of Chaker Haider Baloch’s letter, ‘Persecution of a lecturer’ (Sept 10). I thoroughly see eye to eye with his views and respect for teachers.
How interesting and amazing it is that the builder of a nation that we call teacher is being treated as an animal without any proof which makes it clear that the civilian government has failed to take over the control from agencies which have been ruling over the country for many decades.
The recent abduction of a Balochistan University lecturer, Hassan Janan, in front of the city centre in Quetta shows the lack of respect for a teacher in this country. If he really has done something wrong, then he must be brought into court. Why is he being thrown in torture cells, which is against the Constitution of the state?
One wonders that on the one hand apologies and commitments are being made to assuage the Baloch grievances, and on the other hand the policies of the previous regime are carried on, which is beyond one’s grasp.
Federal Adviser Rehman Malik on his visit to Quetta promised to release all missing persons but instead of releasing them, these inhuman agencies are doing the same which they had been doing in the past.
The new government should show seriousness about Baloch grievances, and release lecturer Hassan Janan as soon as possible.
NAEEM BALOCH
Turbat, Kech
http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/13/letted.htm#10 |
