December 3, 2018: CODE PAKISTAN held a consultation with the students and faculty members of the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, on countering on-campus violent extremism in Pakistan. The consultation focused on role of faculty and student forums in countering intolerance and extremism and exploring inter-university coordination for promoting CVE research.
The students and faculty members of the University of Agriculture shared that the university was established as a college in 1906, which was upgraded to the status of a university in 1962. They further shared that 47 different disciplines were being taught at the main campus in Faisalabad as well as the three sub-campuses in Vehari, Okara, and Toba Tek Singh. They further stated that 28,000 students were enrolled in the university.
The students and faculty members of University of Agriculture revealed that there were students from all over Pakistan studying at the campus, including from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. They further shared that 50 percent of the student of the University of Agriculture were female with a bulk of them from rural backgrounds. They further added that around 10,000 students were residing on the university campus in 25 different hostels.
The students and faculty members of University of Agriculture shared that high standards of administration and discipline were observed at the university to ensure religious, ethnic, and culture cohesion. They added that no major incidence of violence had been reported at the university in the past 15 years. The students and faculty members of the university shared that 20 different student bodies were active at the university engaging students in healthy extra-curricular activities and, thus, keeping them away from negative influences. The students and faculty members of University of Agriculture specifically mentioned the sports board of the university and added that the university had produced international-level players in hockey, volleyball, and kabaddi. They further added that the university administration involved the students in its policy matters through their selected specialized committees.
The students and faculty members of University of Agriculture shared that centers for skill development, entrepreneurship, business startups, etc. were established on campus. The Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Dr. Zafar Iqbal Randhawa, who had graciously attended CODE PAKISTAN’s consultation, said that the University of Agriculture would be willing to collaborate with other universities and even madrassahs on agri-tourism and trainings on organic agricultural production. He also called for restoring the Agriculture Heritage Museum at the university campus to its glory.
The students and faculty members of the University of Agriculture shared that the university had established a strategic working group of around 40 students that focused on exploring student behaviors and causes of extremism among youth.
CODE PAKISTAN would like to especially thank the Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture Faisalabad Dr. Zafar Iqbal Randhawa for his participation in the consultation. Besides the Vice Chancellor, the consultation was attended by the following prominent faculty members of the University of Agriculture: Dr. Mohammad Jafer, Dr. Abdur Rashid, Dr. Yasir Jamil, Dr. Abdul Ghafoor, Dr. M. Ather Javed Khan, Dr. Khalid Mahmood Chaudhry, Dr. Faqir Muhammad, Dr. M. Qamar Bilal, Dr. Masood S. Bari, Dr. Zafar Qureshi, Dr. Asif Tanveer, Dr. M. Sajjad Khan, Dr. M. Asghar, Dr. Asim Aqeel, Dr. M. Ashraf, and Dr. Muhammad Kasib Khan. The consultation was part of a series of consultations that CODE PAKISTAN is holding with the faculties and students of various universities across Pakistan.