LAHORE – Two female faculty member of Post-Graduate College of Nursing, Birdwood Road, are getting life threats for being “members of the Ahmadiya community”, with religious elements inside the college alleging that the two were preaching their faith inside the college, Pakistan Today learnt on Monday.
Sources said some elements inside the college were also coming with weapons to “teach a lesson” to these female teachers, while the teachers in question are seeking the government’s help.
Sources said that it was being alleged that faculty members Rubina Jabeen and Syeda Tasneem Kauser were distributing Qadiyani literature among the students and were encouraging them to convert.
According to the hardliners, “These two females are not worthy of mercy and should be punished legally or physically.” Academic activities in the college have come to a halt as a movement has started against the two female teachers.
The movement has even crossed the boundary of the college and religious clerics were also found protesting against the two women on the city’s roads. Rubina Jabeen is a Grade-17 teacher, while Syeda Tasneem is in Grade-18.
According to Molvi Masood, who was condemning the two teachers, it was against the constitution to preach Ahmadiyat. He said they “will teach them a lesson and raise the issue at all platforms”. Other religious clerics said the students of the college had complained about these teachers, adding that “we will do everything against these teachers”.
Pakistan Today obtained a copy of an application written by one of the accused teachers, Rubina Jabeen, to the health secretary, claiming that she was a Muslim.
She said a male student had threatened her because she favored her friend, who was an Ahmadi. “Why am I being harassed if my friend is an Ahmadi,” Rubina asked in her application.
Saleem-ud-din, a spokesperson of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadia, said he wasn’t aware of the situation at the nursing college but would pursue the matter.
“We are being persecuted at all levels, and are even denied the rights provided to us by the country’s constitution,” he said.