07 February 2004	Saturday	15 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 6: Attendance at educational institutions, including the two public sector varsities, remained very thin on Friday due to the strike call given by the Muttahida Majlis-i- Amal.

Staff and students at government schools and colleges failed to turn up in any significant strength and as such academic studies remained almost suspended there. The offices of educational officers and supervisors of the district government also could not go fully operational mainly due to non- availability of public transport in the morning hours.

The strike call was given by the MMA to protest against the government policies on nuclear issue and to express solidarity with the nuclear scientists. Educational offices and institutions both in public and private sectors were supposed to resume after Eid holidays on Friday.

Attendance at private educational institutions was also negligible as private transporters giving pick and drop services to students preferred to remain off the road in the morning and came out only in the afternoon.

The University of Karachi gave a deserted look as the main source of transportation of students from their residential area, the university bus fleet, remained suspended. Amidst report of tyre burning and torching of vehicles, it was decided not to bring out the KU buses, said an official.

One of the students in the arts lobby of the university confided that despite knowing about the situation, he took a chance only to exchange after-eid-pleasantry with his class fellows, but it was all disappointing.

A teacher said that at one of his classes only nine out of 100 students were present, while in another class only three out of 70 students were available for lectures.

Some of the science teachers claimed that laboratories and research activities were carried out during the day, while some classes of the evening programme were also held. An official of Karachi University's examination department said that exams were held as per schedule both in morning and afternoon shifts.

Attendance situation at the NED University of Engineering and Technology was not different from other institutions, as teaching was kept almost suspended.

COURTS: The legal proceedings were also affected to a great extent on Friday due to the strike as a very low number of the under trial prisoners were brought to the court by the authorities.

The City Courts building, housing over 150 courts, gave a deserted look as the usual number of litigants and lawyers, who did not have private conveyance, could not turn up due to the low quantum of the public transport.

A few stamp vendors did come to the City Courts and opened up their outlets in the morning. However, they closed down their business in the later hours.

The situation at the special anti-narcotics court and accountability court at Clifton and anti-terrorism court at Queen's Road was also similar to that at the City Courts.

Eye-witnesses said the litigants, prosecution witnesses, paralegal staff, investigation officers, stamp vendors - left the City Courts premises in utter dismay as the four canteens did not pull up the shutters.

The jail authorities said the court police took around 80 under trial prisoners to the court, while over 400 UTP were produced in the courts daily on an average.