KARACHI, June 25: Leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement visited the protesting students of the Sindh Medical College outside the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday and assured them of their support, said a representative of the aggrieved students whose hunger strike entered its 10th day on Wednesday.

The visit by the newly elected MNA Dr Farooq Sattar, along with MNA Dr Aamir Liaquat, to the hunger strike camp in the evening gave a message of hope to the students.

The students’ representative told Dawn that the leaders had offered them some options.

“In view of the gesture shown by our leaders we, for the time being, have decided to withdraw female students from the strike during night hours and now they will join the strike in the daytime only,” said the representative.

It was learnt that the students had been told that some of them could be given BSc Honours degrees, or B Pharmacy degrees, or MS degrees in Anatomy or Physiology, in accordance with their educational standing and achievements at the SMC.

Expressing pleasure over the breakthrough, one of the students said that Dr Farooq Sattar had told them that the issues would be resolved within eight days as its involved measures and approval from different authorities. Meanwhile the strike will continue.

Four more students, including three female students, who fell seek due to severe dehydration during the day, were rushed to hospital.