The deceased Professor Tahira Abdullah had been working at PU on a contractual basis after retiring from the varsity’s Molecular Genetics department. She was teaching cell biology, DNA replication and repair, biochemistry and plant biotechnology at the post graduate level.
Professor Abdullah had been living alone in the house granted to her by the university as her husband had died a few years ago. Her only daughter lives in Karachi.
Muslim Town SHOÂMuhammad AliÂtoldÂThe Express TribuneÂthat Professor Abdullah’s daughter, Aleena, had been calling her mother repeatedly since last night but there was no response.
According to the PU spokesperson, Khurram Shehzad, Professor Abdullah’s daughter then called her neighbours when she couldn’t reach her mother on her cell phone.
The neighbours reached out to the PU administration saying they suspected something was wrong. When PU guards broke open her door between 9am and 10am, they found Professor Abdullah lying in a pool of blood with stab wounds on her face and neck.
The news of Professor Abdullah’s death sent shock-waves among the faculty, students and university staff who have voiced their concerns over the incident.
In a statement, Punjab University Academic Staff Association President Javed Sami, Secretary Iftikhar Ahmad Tarrar and others condemned the murder.
The Islami Jamiat Tulaba (IJT) also protested the murder by taking to the streets. The student group’s activists blocked traffic on Canal Road and chanted slogans against the PU administration and security agencies.