KU decides to beef up security following the suicide attack

The University of Karachi has decided to install body scanners at all the main entrances to beef up the security at the varsity, expanding the surveillance area. The management will also introduce a special rickshaw service to operate inside the campus.

The KU management held a meeting on Wednesday to review the security arrangements a day after the female suicide bomber blew herself up at Confucius Institute targeting Chinese faculty members. The meeting, chaired by the varsity’s Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Nasira Khatoon, was attended by Pakistan Rangers personnel and KU’s top management.

The meeting discussed how a woman carrying explosive material managed to enter the campus. It was discussed how university management and Pakistan Rangers jointly can avert such attacks in the future.

An insider told SAMAA Digital that Pakistan Rangers officials told the meeting to increase the Close-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on the routes of all entry points. Moreover, high-definition cameras would be installed on gates to keep an eye on suspicious movement outside the campus.

All roads leading to the varsity gates would be covered with CCTV cameras which will be installed from Maskan Gate to the Department of Pharmacy, Silver Jubilee Gate to Azadi Chowk, Staff Gate to Campus Security Office and Gulzar-e-Hijri Gate to the Department of Pharmacy.

A KU official, who wished not to be named, told that the meeting also lamented the movement of explosive material inside the campus. The meeting was told that four walk-through gates were donated by Jafaria Disaster Management Cell (JDC) following the attack on Bacha Khan University in 2016.

It was highlighted that JDC took back all donated walk-through gates. Currently, the university has only one walk-through gate which developed fault two years before. However, the varsity has only a metal detector in working condition. 

According to Pakistan Rangers, the metal detector cannot identify explosive material effectively. The meeting has decided that the varsity will arrange walk-through gates which will be installed on all entrances to check explosive and arms ammunition.

The CCTV footage, obtained by SAMAA TV, of the suicide blast, shows the bomber coming inside the campus in a rickshaw.

The official told that the meeting has decided that the varsity will not allow rickshaws inside the campus from now. However, some of the participants objected that students will suffer from the ban as the students usually travels from one point to another point within the university on rickshaws.

The meeting was told that mostly the rickshaws inside the university are operated by the families of varsity staffers. It was decided that the varsity will only allow those rickshaws inside the university which are owned and operated by either university staffers themselves or by their relatives. 

An issue surfaced that how it would be determined whether the rickshaw present inside the campus is owned or operated by the university staffers.

The meeting was told that there are nearly 150 rickshaws that are operated by university staffers. It was decided that the rickshaws allowed to operate inside the campus will be given a unique color that will be helpful in making their identity.

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