KARACHI:Three persons were arrested after a senior faculty member of the University of Karachi and his nephew were allegedly assaulted and illegally detained by “influential” armed men travelling in a pickup truck on Tuesday morning.

The incident occurred when Prof Dr Arif Khan Saqi, chairperson of the Department of Islamic Learning at KU, was travelling to the university in a car being driven by his nephew, who works as a driver for an online ride-hailing service with a rented car.

SSP-East Zubair Nazir Sheikh said an FIR has been registered in this regard and three suspects have been arrested.

Sachal SHO Aijaz Pathan told Dawn that the suspects were “influential persons” and own a restaurant in the Safoora area.

Prof Saqi narrated his ordeal in a video recorded at the Sachal police station as torture marks and blood were visible on his face and clothes, which were torn in several places.

Teachers condemn incident, demand justice; students stage protest at Silver Jubilee gate;police say efforts underway to arrest remaining suspects

He said he had left his home for the university in the car when a pickup truck came in front of their vehicle at an intersection. Guards sitting in the back of the vehicle indicated to the car driver to stop. After the car stopped, the pickup truck reversed at high speed and struck it, due to which the car’s bonnet was damaged.

Prof Saqi said he asked the occupants of the vehicle to have the bonnet repaired or pay for the damage, as the car was rented and the driver, his nephew, could not afford to pay for it. However, a man he identified as Hunain objected to his intervention. The man then started beating him as well as the car driver, Prof Saqi said. The other men also assaulted them with the butts of their pistols before taking him and the driver in their SUV to Sindh Green Hotel, which is owned by suspect Hunain’s father.

Prof Saqi said they were kept there against their will and further beaten. The teacher further said that some time later, Rangers personnel reached the hotel, gathered some information and left. After that, Malir police arrived and took him to the police station.

Following that, an FIR was registered at Sachal police station under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (common object liability), 324 (attempted murder) and 342 (wrongful confinement).

The police subsequently conducted raids and arrested three suspects. Further efforts were underway to arrest the remaining suspects.

Meanwhile, the incident drew strong condemnation from teachers and students of KU.

The Karachi University Teachers Society (Kuts) denounced the incident and demanded justice. In a statement, the teachers’ body said, “In every civilised society in the world, the dignity, respect, and protection of teachers are ensured under all circumstances. Unfortunately, in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, teachers are increasingly becoming one of the most vulnerable and oppressed sections of society.”

“We urge the relevant authorities to take notice of this incident and ensure that all those involved are given due punishment, so that the dignity and respect of teachers may be upheld and given the highest priority in society,” it added.

Students also strongly condemned the incident and staged a protest outside KU’s Silver Jubilee gate to demand justice. Condemnation statements were also issued by the university’s student organisations.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2026