KARACHI, Jan 4: The Amir of Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Karachi, Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui on Tuesday demanded the government to lift ban on student unions and hold its elections forthwith.

"If the government is sincere in ending the intervention political parties in educational institutions, it should immediately give students the democratic right of choosing their representatives," he said while speaking to the inauguration ceremony of the Islami Jamiat Talaba's (IJT) hafta-i-kutub (books week) at the D.J. Science College.

Even 18-year-olds, he said, had the right to elect their political representatives in colleges and universities, but they were forbidden from doing and thus couldn't get their problems resolved.

Hailing efforts of the IJT in organizing the hafta-i-kutub, Dr Siddiqui said IJT's campaign was a right move towards eliminating the darkness of ignorance. Addressing the occasion, the Nazim IJT Karachi, Tahir Akbar, said the IJT had been organizing hafta-i-kutub for the past 54 years. He said more than Rs0.8 million was disbursed last year for the welfare of students.

He appealed to Karachiites to contribute to IJT's ongoing students' aid drive. He also demanded of the government to immediately conduct student unions elections in educational institutions. - PPI