Fawad Chaudhry urges Lahore varsity to restore expelled students

Federal Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry has called on the University of Lahore to reinstate two students who were expelled for proposing each other on campus.

“Marriage of one’s own free will is the basic right of every girl. Islam gives rights to women. Marriage of choice is central to these rights. University administration should reconsider its decision,” Chaudhry said in a Twitter statement on Monday.

“Considering girls as property is against Islam,” he added.

مرضی سے شادی ہر لڑکی کا بنیادی حق ہے، اسلام عورتوں کو جو حقوق دیتا ہے مرضی کی شادی ان حقوق میں مرکزی حیثئیت رکھتی ہے یونیورسٹی انتظامیہ اپنے فیصلے پر نظرثانی کرے، لڑکیوں کو پراپرٹی سمجھنا اسلام کے خلاف ہے

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 15, 2021

PPP lawmaker Sharmila Farooqi also threw her weight the expelled students.

“Powerful! Expressive! Full of hope & love! More power to the youth!” tweeted Sharmila.

The support came days after the students were expelled for public display of affection and hugging each other on campus amid cheers and applause from fellow students.

The video, which went viral on social media, divided the public opinion.

According to a statement issued by the registrar of the varsity, a special disciplinary committee meeting was held on March 12 at 10:30am and the two students were called in but failed to appear. The committee then decided to expel the two students and ban them from entering any of the university’s campuses.

The university says they violated Section 9 of its General Discipline Rules and Code of Conduct. These rules are not published online.

Multiple videos were uploaded online of the “incident”.

The videos show a young woman handing roses and cards to a young man and then bending down on one knee and holding out a bouquet of roses to him. He takes the roses and then pulls her in for a hug. A crowd of students surrounds the couple and cheers them on.