The administration is being criticized for closing down the University of Peshawar to shoot a famous Pashto singer on Valentine’s Day on February 14.
A video went viral on social media on Valentine’s Day in which singer gul panra was seen shooting on the university lawn.
The University of Peshawar had issued a letter on February 11 declaring February 14 a public holiday due to the holding of Kashmir Day celebrations on February 5.
It can be seen in the video that the singer gul panra is present with the production staff while all the arrangements have been made for the recording.
The video does not contain the sound of the music, nor does it reveal what the recording is about.
The video went viral, with social media users criticizing the university administration, while the Peshawar University Teachers’ Association claimed that “the university was closed for the singer’s shooting and not for any other reason.”
According to Pewta’s statement, the teachers were informed that the Kashmir Day holiday would be observed on any day between February 6 and 12, but this did not happen.
The statement further said that on February 11, a letter was suddenly issued by the university stating that the university would be closed on February 14 and now they have come to know that more than 20,000 students studying at the university have been deprived of education for one recording. Which is an abuse of power.
Was the university really closed for the singer’s recording?
In this regard, the spokesman of the University of Peshawar Muhammad Noman told Urdu News that the university administration is being defamed by putting wrong captions with viral videos on social media.
He said that in fact a private production house in Lahore had requested the university administration to shoot for Pakistan Super League while the district administration had also obtained prior permission from Peshawar.
Mohammad Noman says that this was not a recording of a song but a reference to PSL.
“PSL is a national event of Pakistan and in view of this, after receiving an application from the administration, they were allowed to record in the university as it would also promote the university.”
He said that the university had declared a public holiday even before the production house got permission.
According to the university spokesperson, the district administration had given permission to the concerned private production house to shoot at the University of Peshawar, Islamia College and other places on certain conditions.
Mohammad Noman said that the staff of the production house had made their recording in the university lawn and the management had not taken any compensation from the production house for the purpose of publicity of the university.