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Thursday, March 14, 2024

Captain Safdar is not the only one who wants Dr. Abdus Salam’s name removed at QAU

News Analysis |

The National Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to rename the Physics department of Quaid e Azam University after Abu al Fatah Abdul Rehman Al- Khazini.The resolution was passed hours after Capt (r) Safdar expressed his views, outside the accountability court, to rename the centre named after Dr. Abdus Salam, on Thursday.

Interestingly the resolution called for renaming the Physics department, however, the facility named after Pakistan’s first Nobel Laureate was National Centre for Physics, implying that in haste Capt (r) Safdar mentioned a wrong facility.

The son-in-law of former premier, Nawaz Sharif, was not the sole lawmaker to propose the change and many others (discussed below) also echoed the same remarks as they put their signatures on the resolution.Those who signed the resolution to rename Dr. Abdus Salam Centre at QAU:

An interesting aspect of these lawmakers is the fact that neither of them had expressed their views over the Khatam-e-Nabuwat amendment in the Election Act 2017.

Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar

A lawmaker of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Dogar is currently facing allegations of power theft and Multan Electric Power Company has sent a detection bill worth Rs 1.7 million to him.He overpowered Javed Hashmi, former Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz leader in NA-149 bye-elections as an independent candidate but later joined PTI.He has been a known figure in the constituency but reportedly no considerable statement was given by him over the Khatam e Nabuuwat related clause of Election Act 2017.

Read more: CII decries naming QAU physics centre after Dr Abdus Salam

Tahira Aurangzeb

The only noticeable recognition of Tahira Aurangzeb is her affiliation with Maryam Aurangzeb, Federal State Minister for Information.Just a day before the passing of resolution Tahira Aurangzeb had expressed that Religious leaders of world should come together for global peace.

Molvi Agha Muhammad

The case of Molvi Agha is interesting. He was disqualified by an election tribunal in 2014 over a fake degree, yet ironically, he added his signature on a resolution concerning a decision of an educational institute.

Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani

Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani is a legislator of Pakistan People’s Party from Jacobabad and in February, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had started verifying a complaint against him for possessing assets disproportionate to his declared sources of income.

She also heads the True Worth Foundation (TWF), which received a grant of $70,660 by a foreign mission in Islamabad, raising concerns of conflict of interest.

Usman Khan Tarakai

Tarakai is an independent candidate of National Assembly and a relative of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Health Minister, Shahram Khan Taraki.

Read more: Karachi’s politics in spotlight as claimants trade gibes

Dr. Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon

Dr. Muhammad Azhar Khan Jadoon is a PTI lawmaker from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and reportedly did not give any statement over Khatam e Nabuuwat issue in recent past.

Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan

Shamim is a member of National Assembly from Sialkot and has never been outspoken on the floor of the house. He traces his affiliation with ruling PML-N.

Khawaja Sohail Mansoor

Mansoor is a member of left-wing Muttahida Qaumi Movement and a member of National Assembly from Sindh.In a recent statement, Mansoor threatened to return the Sitara-i-Imtiaz conferred on him for being the nation’s highest tax payer as a protest against Premier Khaqan Abbasi’s tax amnesty scheme.“The value of dollar is increasing yet we are offering amnesty schemes. This will adversely affect the common man. I will return my Sitara-i-Imtiaz tomorrow,” Mansoor had stated.

Molana Qamar ud Din

A member of National Assembly from Balochistan province, Qamar ud Din is a worker of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (F).

She also heads the True Worth Foundation (TWF), which received a grant of $70,660 by a foreign mission in Islamabad, raising concerns of conflict of interest.

Saman Sultana Jafri

Jafri is a member of left-wing Muttahida Qaumi Movement and has been vocal on the floor of the house; however, no noticeable statement was made by the legislator over the Election Act 2017 or the finality of Prophet-hood.

Read more: The Roller Coaster Between Jamat-e-Islami and PTI Ends

Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan

A member of secular Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Nikhat Shakeel Khan has no noticeable statement or policy to her credit.

Hamid ul Haq Khalil

Khalil is a member of National Assembly from Peshawar. He hasbeen in the news for matters not concerning religious affairs. He belongs to PTI.

Zahra Wadood Fatemi

Fatemi is a member of PML-N and in 2017; she had called for setting up the Baba Guru Nanak University in Nankana Sahib instead of Islamabad.She is the wife of Tariq Fatemi, former Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs.She also heads the True Worth Foundation (TWF), which received a grant of $70,660 by a foreign mission in Islamabad, raising concerns of conflict of interest.

Is this a tactic to appease the religious conservatives of the society, that too, just at the blink of the upcoming elections?

Besides the above mentioned lawmakers certain other legislators also backed the resolution including Aamira Khan, Gulzar Khan, Shakeel, Nazeer Ahmed Baghio and Seema Mohy ud din Jameli.

Read more: PML-N’s love-hate relationship with MQM continues under Shehbaz Sharif’s Presidency

An interesting aspect of these lawmakers is the fact that neither of them had expressed their views over the Khatam-e-Nabuwat amendment in the Election Act 2017. Yet they are vouching to rename an educational/research center at a University.

The only driving force to back the resolution seems to be jumping on the bandwagon and portray oneself in a good light in front of the public because religion is still the central element in electoral politics and Capt (r) Safdar has made the issue of Quaid e Azam University’s centre, a matter of religion.

Besides after the November Faizabad sit-in the politicians in Pakistan may have realized the sensitivity of religious sentiments of the population. Is this a tactic to appease the religious conservatives of the society, that too, just at the blink of the upcoming elections?