KARACHI, May 26: The Sindh government on Monday assured the affected students of the Sindh Medical College that it would consider the matter pertaining to restoration of their admission immediately on humanitarian grounds.

Sources in the government said that the chief minister met a delegation of aggrieved students of the SMC on Monday around 4pm and observed that students, whose admissions were challenged by the college authorities after a lapse of 3-5 years, deserved sympathy and the government would do all possible to eliminate their grievances in the shortest possible time.

The provincial minister, Dr Saeeda Malik, advisor to the CM on health, Mohammad Noman Saigol, and a member of the national assembly from Karachi, Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain, were also present during the meeting of CM and students, which was promised to students before they called off their hunger strike on Saturday.

Dr Saeeda Malik told Dawn that after hearing the students, the CM had asked to expedite the things in order to eliminate the unrest prevailing among the SMC students, including those who had completed their four to five years of academic activities at the college.

She said that the advisor to the CM on health would now also join the ministerial committee, which was formed a couple of months back by the Sindh Cabinet on the issue of fake admissions at SMC. She held the fresh observations of the CM on the issue of SMC a breakthrough in the issue of controversial admissions and said though the ministers had their reservations, compassionate view of the medical students’ cases could not be denied.

Talking about the methodology, Dr Saeeda said that students who possessed genuine certificates of matriculation and intermediate education examination were likely to be allowed to continue their education at SMC. Since the cases of affected students are now being taken up on humanitarian grounds government has made up its mind to give some relaxations to them, provided their educational and other documents are genuine, she mentioned.

Reportedly, over 100 students had been detected, either by the college principal or Governor Inspection Team, studying at the SMC on the basis of “fake admission” or by “using fraudulent means” for last 3-5 years and also had been appearing in different examinations of the university, uninterruptedly till 2002.

However, the college authority only a couple of months back started to debar them from appearing in examinations and issued show cause notices as well to prove the legitimacy of their admissions at the college, which, according to affected students, was unwarranted and a belated action, particularly by an administration, which could rightly be alleged of conniving with the foul-players to mint lakhs of rupees.

A sources privy to Monday’s meeting at CM House said that cases of those who are studying in 4th and final year at SMC would be considered in the first phase and reported to the competent authority, ie the chief minister.

Not revealing the deadline for the review process, the source said that the immediate concern of CM and some of his cabinet members was to save the time of those who were to complete their final professional education. “We are trying to get a final say on admission dispute before the commencement of MBBS supplementary examinations so that those who had not been able to take their annual examinations could avail the chance”, the source added.

The much-awaited meeting with CM has sent a message of relief to aggrieved students. Referring to the proceedings of meeting at CM House, a couple of students said that it was all pleasant to know that government had now decided to accommodate their point of view.

One of the students’ representatives said that they had been told during the meeting that since a committee of the cabinet was already working on the issue of SMC students, the fresh findings and recommendations would also be directed to the Sindh cabinet, which was likely to meet on May 31.

The students said that at present the government side had indicated to consider the admission cases of students belonging to 3rd, 4th and 5th year classes. “Irrespective of merit list and other eligibility criteria, including place of domicile and PRC of students, government is ready to restore the admissions of all those who were holding genuine documents,” said a representative of the student, after holding a 15-minute meeting with the CM.