Punjab University professor held for ties with Hizbut Tahrir

Police rounded up the professor from his residence in Allama Iqbal Town in the early hours of Monday morning and took him away for questioning. Professor Ghalib Ata is an Assistant Professor of the Institute of Administrative Sciences.

Law enforcement personnel have been on the hunt for HuT members, as they recently arrested Hizbut Tahrir Karachi chief Hisam Qamar. Qamar worked as deputy general manager at K-Electric.

According to his colleague, a gradual change had overtaken the professor. He had joined the institution as a clean-shaven man but had then grown a beard and started establishing links with religious orgnisations. The same colleague also revealed that everyone was aware regarding his association with Hizbut Tahrir. His colleagues and students said that he was known for criticising the democratic system and had called for establishment of caliphate across the country.

“He spoke against democracy, advised me not to cast vote as it is un-Islamic and persuaded me to join his organisation,” said an ex-student of the institute.

According to sources, the professor had been picked up by intelligence agencies a year back as well. It was said that Ata had distributed HuT literature among those colleagues of his, whom he thought would be influenced by it and subsequently join the religious organisation.

A representative of Punjab University said that after the APS attack in Peshawar, the university administration had banned inviting any controversial person from any events, functions or seminars. The Punjab University representative also said that they would not interfere with the work of intelligence agencies.