Islamabad, Sep 15 (IANS): A new policy introduced by Bahria University in Pakistan has banned male and female students from sitting together or forming groups.

According to reports in the Pakistani media, the University's Registrar, in a notice, has asked teachers to ensure male and females are seated separately in the classes.

Besides, formation of groups of male and female students during academic works has also been prohibited.

This new policy has been met with criticism, according to media reports.

The notice also calls for timetables of classes to be fixed in such a way that the students get lesser time to move from one campus to another in the university.

It says that in such a scenario, and back-to-back classes, possibilities of male and female students' interaction would also reduce.

Twitterati in Pakistan have slammed the University move, calling it a "regressive step".

Bahria University, set up by the Pakistani Navy in 2000, is spread out through multiple campuses in the cities of Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad.

The University's main campus and headquarters is located in Islamabad. It was, however, not clear which campus or campuses would be affected by the new policy.