Separately, the SHC informed the police to rescue 25 family members held captive and forced into forced labor in Benazirabad
The Sindh High Court has allowed three students of Dawood University of Engineering and Technology to appear in their upcoming examinations on a conditional basis after their admissions were canceled by the university administration.
The bench, which was hearing petitions filed by students Muhammad Uzair, Muhammad Zohaib and Muhammad Sajid, was informed on Wednesday that their admissions had been suspended and later revoked following allegations of misconduct.
The students had approached the court challenging the university’s notification, which they claimed was issued without any inquiry or opportunity to defend themselves.
Advocate Usman Farooq, representing the petitioners, argued that the impugned notice was issued by the Director of Student Affairs, who also serves as the member secretary of the Disciplinary Committee, based on the committee’s recommendations made during its September 17 meeting.
He argued that the disciplinary action lacked transparency and violated due process. The defense argued that no evidence was presented nor were the students consulted before their admissions were cancelled.
Also read: Pakistan condemns Israel’s violation of Gaza peace deal, calls for global intervention
The lawyer added that the students’ exams were near and if they were not allowed to sit for the papers, their academic future would be irreparably damaged. “Without a fair hearing or substantiated evidence, the students’ entire education is being jeopardized,” he said.
After hearing the arguments, the court granted conditional permission for the three students to appear for their upcoming exams. The bench directed them to submit affidavits to the university administration as a condition of their participation.
The petition names the Secretarial Education, Vice-Chancellor of DUET, Director Student Affairs and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) as respondents. The court issued notices to all parties for their comments and adjourned the matter for further consideration.
25 forced laborers freed in Benazirabad
In a separate case, the Sindh High Court was informed that the police had successfully rescued 25 members of a single family who had been held captive and forced into forced labor for nearly two years in Benazirabad district.
The report was submitted before Justice Hasan Akbar in accordance with the court’s earlier directives after relatives of the victims filed a petition for their recovery.
According to the police report, the operation was conducted near Main War Stop in Benazirabad, where the victims were found trapped in the agricultural land of Ali Asghar Jamali. Those rescued included men, women and children – among them a two-month-old infant.
Read: 72 Katcha bandits surrender in Shikarpur
The police stated that the victims had been illegally detained and forced to work without pay. After the rescue, they were safely moved and given medical attention.
Justice Hasan Akbar appreciated the efforts of police teams from both relevant districts to ensure safe recovery of the hostages within the stipulated time frame. The court had earlier ordered the police to carry out the recovery operation within three days and submit a detailed compliance report.
The judge noted that forced labor remained a serious human rights problem in rural Sindh and directed the authorities to take strict action against those responsible for keeping workers in illegal confinement.
