Sarhad University incident: video of uniformed man firing shots in air goes viral

ISLAMABAD: A video showing a uniformed man allegedly firing shots into the air during a confrontation with students at at Islamabad’s Sarhad University of Science and Information Technology (SUSIT) has gone viral on social media, drawing widespread criticism and prompting competing accounts about the incident.

The video, which surfaced on social media on Monday, shows a man in uniform carrying a stick and engaged in a heated exchange with several students on the university campus.

The confrontation appears to escalate into a physical altercation, with students surrounding the uniformed man. He is then seen pulling out a pistol and apparently firing shots into the air.

The circumstances that led to the confrontation remain unclear, while the university administration has so far not issued an official statement explaining the incident.

Students, however, have claimed on social media that they were protesting at the university in support of a teacher who had allegedly been mistreated by the administration.

According to a report in Dawn, the uniformed individual was taken into custody following the incident and disciplinary proceedings were initiated against him.

The report, citing sources involved in the investigation, said the individual allegedly discharged a weapon during a scuffle with protesters at the university’s Chattha Bakhtawar campus.

However, the university has not publicly issued a detailed account of the incident.

Senior journalist Hamid Mir also said in a post on X that an unpleasant incident occurred at a university in Islamabad after a female relative of a military officer was allegedly mistreated.

According to Mir, the woman called the officer to the university, following which the confrontation took place. He further claimed that the military officer was taken into custody by his institution and an inquiry was initiated.

Mir said strict action would be taken against the officer for allegedly violating military discipline.

The viral footage itself shows the confrontation and apparent firing but does not establish what happened before the uniformed man arrived or what triggered the altercation.

The incident reportedly took place two days before the video gained widespread attention on social media on Monday.

The reported detention of the officer and the initiation of disciplinary proceedings also remain unconfirmed through an official statement from the military or Islamabad police.

Further details are expected to emerge as authorities investigate the incident and examine video footage and accounts from students and university officials.