Giant lizrad terrorises Mass-com students

By Tehmina Qureshi

A "goa" entered the Department of Mass Communication earlier this week, terrorising the students and administration of the department. The Vice Chancellor said that this may be a conspiracy against students of Karachi University, by the neighbouring rival, NED.

The Varanus flavescens, commonly known as "goa" in Urdu, sneaked into the department between 12 to 1 pm, and hid beneath the stairs. A student from the department noticed it and alerted other students and the administration, after which it was thrown out by one brave student of 3rd year, Rizwan Jumman, with his bare hands.

Ahsan, the student who spotted the goa, said, "everyone was so scared, including myself. They were running here and there in frenzy. The administration was so confused, since there were no proper safety measures for such an incident." Parvez, the janitor of the department, recalls, "I ran to the scene when I heard screaming. I saw the goa  and it was getting ready to attack the students when Rizwan threw it out".  

Rizwan, the knight of the day, said, "I did what I could to save lives. Sure the danger was great, but someone had to step up." The VC is currently considering to present Rizwan with an award for his bravery.

A view of the Mass Communication department, KU

The chairperson of the department, Prof. Dr. Rafia Taj, has taken notice of the incident, condemming it, and has formed a standing committee to investigate the matters. According to the latest reports, lecturer Sadia Mehmood, Prof. Dr. Mehmood Ghaznavi, Asst. Prof. Fozia Naz-who is also the Student Advisor, are all part of the investigation committee. The Student Advisor gave a statement that, evidence is being collected and they will shortly reveal their findings. She also said that the possibility of a 'foreign hand' cannot be ruled out. "We are gathering evidence, and our findings will be made public shortly. There is a possibility that this incident was part of a conspiracy against the students of Karachi University, especially the Department of Mass Communication, to bring down its reputation", she said, concurring with Prof. Dr. Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui.

Nadirshaw Edulji Dinshaw(NED)  has denied any involvement in the incident. The Dean Faculty of Civil Engineering and  Architecture, Prof. Dr. Sahibzada Farooq Ahmed Rafeequi, has strongly denied the allegations on behlaf of the faculty of NED. Prof. Dr.  Saleem Memon, Dean of Faculty of Arts of KU, has suggested greater collaboration between the two varsities to get to the depth of the matter.