LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has accepted the resignation of University of Sahiwal Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Muhammad Nasir Afzal.
Mr Afzal was appointed as the first VC of the varsity in August 2018 after the then government notified Bahauddin Zakariya University’s Sahiwal sub-campus as a university in 2015.
A copy of the notification available with Dawn states: “The governor is pleased to accept the resignation of Prof Dr Muhammad Nasir Afzal, vice chancellor, University of Sahiwal.”
It further stated: “The governor is pleased to assign the additional charge of the post of the vice chancellor of University of Sahiwal to Prof Dr Zikria Zakar, vice chancellor [of] University of Okara for a period of six months or till the arrival of a regular incumbent.”
Amnesty International in September appealed to Pakistani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Hafeez. “Junaid’s lengthy trial has gravely affected his mental and physical health, endangered him and his family, and exemplifies the misuse of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws,” Amnesty International’s regional researcher, Rabia Mehmood, stated.
Junaid’s father tried to find a lawyer who would tell the scared judge why his son should be let off. He had to confess: “I found a lawyer willing to take the case but, on his first day, he was harassed by some 200 lawyers.” He still thought the judge would be fearless. “The prosecution, the witnesses and trial could not prove any of the allegations,” said the lawyer.