August 24, 2008	Sunday	Sha'aban 21, 1429

HYDERABAD, Aug 23: The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri on Saturday demanded removal of vice-chancellor of the Sindh Agriculture University, Dr Basheer Ahmed Shaikh, and warned if he was not removed the party would raise the issue in the parliament.

Speaking to the protesting employees of the university on phone, the Maulana urged the university administration to release salaries of the employees immediately.

He regretted that an important university was being sacrificed and its employees were being crucified just to protect one person. He supported the employees’ protest and advised the vice-chancellor to release salaries and tender resignation voluntarily.

President of the Hyderabad chapter of the JUI-F, Moulana Taj Mohammad Nahiyoon, said that it had remained a practice up till now to appoint renowned scholars as heads of universities but unfortunately, an inefficient and controversial figure, had been made head of the only agriculture university of the province.

He expressed surprise that the rulers had remained completely indifferent to closure of the university for last 50 days and appealed to his party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to take notice of the situation prevailing at the university.

The chairman of the employees’ committee, Hussain Bux Veesar, criticised people’s representatives for showing little interest in the closure of the university.

He said that if the university had been located in Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad, the government would have taken notice.