Karachi: Spokesman of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, said on Saturday that there were some baseless and unfounded posts in circulation linking the unfortunate suicide of Ms Nadia Ashraf Choudhary with her PhD at the Dr Panjwani Center under the supervision of Prof Iqbal Choudhary.
In a statement, the center categorically condemned these false allegations. The spokesperson said that Ms Nadia was enrolled for her MPhil/PhD in 2007 under supervision of Dr Ameen Suria.
When Dr Suria left the center, she went under the supervision of Dr Iqbal Choudhary. She was also given an opportunity to get training in France along with some other students. However, she was not able to focus on her research fully because of her family issues and personal health matters.
She discontinued coming to the center for a few years and started working in various private universities to support her family. Ms Nadia occasionally visited the center and met with her colleagues and supervisor.
She was severely depressed and frequently mentioned her serious family issues including the unexplained disappearance of her father a long time ago. She was also concerned about her health and the health of her mother.
Her supervisor and the institution extended maximum support to her on all occasions. Her application for extension of registration was also favorably recommended to facilitate completion of her PhD. She was always appreciative of the support she received from Prof Choudhary and respected him like her father. Prof Choudhary has supervised over 100 PhDs and is ranked as among the top scientists of the country.
PCMD management expresses deep sorrow on her demise. Unfortunately, if it was a suicide, then it must have been because of her personal issues on which the institution has no control. May Allah swt rest her soul in peace, says the statement sent to PPI.