Authorities close Pakistani university after student killed

This undated file photo shows premises of International Islamic University in Islamabad. (Photo courtesy: @iiu.isbpk/Facebook)

• The decision was taken by university administrators to avoid more clashes
• Thursday's violence spread panic among students who left hostels for their safety

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Friday temporarily closed a major university following overnight armed clashes between rival groups that left one student dead and several others wounded.
Police said the decision to close the International Islamic University was made by university administrators to avoid more clashes.
Authorities have deployed additional police to the campus to avoid further violence.
The decision came after clashes Thursday night in which both sides used batons and guns, spreading panic among students and prompting parents to ask their children to leave the hostels at the campus for their safety.
Police said the fighting was sparked when two groups of students disagreed over the organizing of a book exhibition. But the melee came amid a broader campaign by students across the country to lift a decades-long ban on peaceful political activities at educational institutions.
Slain student Syed Tufail belonged to the student wing of a radical Islamic party.