Secretary of the Sindh Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD), Taha Farooqi slapped a senior professor at the Government College of Education in Lyari, Karachi. The altercation occurred on Thursday amid a dispute over the use of the college premises.
The incident unfolded as Farooqi visited the college to enforce a provincial government decision to repurpose the building into a boys’ hostel for students of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). A notification for the conversion had already been issued, but the decision was met with resistance from the college’s faculty and students, who staged a protest against the planned move.
Tensions escalated during the demonstration when Farooqi reportedly struck the senior professor in the face. Witnesses say the altercation occurred after the professor was seen recording the protest on his mobile phone. The slap was widely condemned by those present, highlighting a deepening conflict between the educational community and government officials.
The assault on a senior educator by a government official has been seen as a serious breach of professional decorum and respect for the teaching profession. Educators and civil society members have expressed outrage, calling for accountability and a formal apology from the officials involved. The incident has also raised concerns about the handling of disputes involving educational institutions and the rights of teachers and students to peacefully protest government decisions.
In response to the incident, various teachers’ associations and educational bodies have condemned the bureaucrat’s actions, demanding immediate action from the Sindh government. They have called for an independent investigation into the incident and appropriate disciplinary measures against Farooqi.