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HYDERABAD, May 19: Tension increased in the Sindh Agriculture University, Tando Jam, on Monday following the failure of talks between the university employees’ action committee and the vice- chancellor.
Hundreds of the employees, several of them without shirts, continued their protest on the eighth consecutive day against the refusal of the university authorities to accept their demands.
Work in the offices remained suspended due to boycott of the employees.
The employees staged a protest sit-in outside the VC block and six employees also observed a token hunger strike.
Talking to the protesters, the leaders of the action committee, Syed Abdul Majeed Shah Rashidi, Hussain Bux Veesar, Nauman Bhutto, Karam Punno and others, accused the VC and the retired officials working at the university of issuing threats of dire consequences to the action committee leaders.
They warned that they would resort to hunger strike unto death if the problems of the employees were not resolved.
Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement MNA Khalid Wahab and party leader Shabbir Bachkani visited the hunger strike camp of the university employees and observed a hunger strike for some time to express solidarity with the employees.
They assured the employees that they would inform the Sindh governor about their problems and the prevailing situation at the campus. They said the governor would be requested to meet a delegation of the employees.
Sources told Dawn that an officer of an intelligence agency met Vice-Chancellor Dr Bashir Ahmad Chandio and the leaders of the employees action committee and persuaded them to hold negotiations.
However, the talks failed as the VC demanded that the employees should first call off their protest whereas the employees insisted that their 19-point charter of demands should be accepted first.
SU EXAMS: The first and second semester examinations of all disciplines of the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, started on Monday.
The university authorities had adopted strict security measures at the 34 examination centres.
A total number of 11,887 candidates are appearing in the second semester examinations and 5,182 candidates are appearing in the first semester examinations.
RESULTS: The controller of examinations, University of Sindh, on Monday announced the results of BA, part-I, examinations of 2002.
As many as 12,865 candidates had submitted forms for the examinations, of whom 347 remained absent.
A total of 8,616 (69.34 per cent) candidates were declared pass, 3,583 were declared fail in different subjects, 209 were reported for copying and the result of 110 candidates was withheld.
