Dr Riaz Ahmed, an associate professor and syndicate member at the University of Karachi, was released on Saturday night following eight hours of what has been described as “illegal detention” by police from three different stations in the city.

“These institutions are rubber stamps. What will I do after going there? They don’t even put my line of dissent in the note. Just for the sake of this one line, which I could have said about [IHC judge] Justice Jahangiri that I have an objection, they did this,” he told reporters.

His release came after widespread protests and public outcry regarding his treatment.

“I demand that syndicate meeting should be summoned again and an opportunity should be given to Justice Jahangiri to respond to it, so that we can see justice is being served. I don’t have any link to any party. We stand for human rights.”

Meanwhile, KU Teachers Society secretary Dr Asad Tanoli announced a boycott of all classes at the university on Monday.

According to Dr Riaz, the police took him to different police stations following his posts on X, erstwhile Twitter.

In a series of posts, he had claimed that the university faced an “unusual level of external pressure” over the past week. The Senate meeting was postponed at the last moment on the orders of the boards secretary.

“Today, a 40-year-old objection to the degree of a serving high court judge is being placed on the Syndicate agenda. The Syndicate was postponed because the capitalists Nadra Hanjwani and Hussain Jamal, along with the ‘Chief Patron’ Atta-ur-Rahman, do not want their 50-year control the unfair means committee, and now the University of Karachi is being used in the power struggle in Islamabad. Why are external elements attacking so boldly and considering the university a tool for private purposes?”

Dr Riaz’s wife took to social media, claiming that he left home at 1:15pm to attend a syndicate meeting but did not arrive at the university and became unreachable. She urged the administration and relevant authorities to take action regarding his disappearance.

In a statement at the Bahadurabad Police Station, Dr Riaz revealed that he had been held for four hours at the New Town police station before being transferred to the Brigade police station and then to Bahadurabad. He stated that he was released after the voices of the university community and students were raised, questioning why he was detained in the first place.