PESHAWAR: An alliance of all political wings, federations and regional organisations of students of University of Peshawar held a sit-in here on Tuesday against yearly 10 per cent increase in semester fees.

The protesters also demanded of the university administration to provide transport facility to students and provide protection to girl students against harassment by the staff.

A list of demands, mainly focusing on welfare and protection of students on the campus, was presented by Mutahidda Tulaba Mahaz to the vice-chancellor of the university.

The vice-chancellor initially refused to meet the students. Then he held talks with students but did not accept many of their important demands,” said Nazim Khan, one of the protesting students and member of Mutahidda Tulaba Mahaz.

The MTM staged the sit-in on Tuesday morning and remained peaceful yet adamant in their protest till the evening and waited for the vice-chancellor to accept their demands.

Protesters seek transport facility, protection of women from harassers

UoP Vice-chancellor Dr Mohammad Asif Khan was not available on his office or residence telephone numbers for comment when Dawn contacted him on the issue.

The protesting students demanded of the university administration to take back the decision of 10 per cent yearly increase in tuition, admission, hostel and other fees, provide hostel and transport facility to the students, provide scholarship to the deserving students and hold inquiry into irregularities in its provisions, resolve the issue of students dropped out by arranging examinations for them, take up the issue of registration of BS programme and degree of the Institute of Education and Research with Higher Education Commissioner, ensure cleanliness of the campus and hostels, issue research grant for PhD and MS students, stop violation of students rights in the name of security, ask provincial government to restore student unions for healthy activities on the campus , reintroduce MA and BA programmes and provide protection to girl students against harassment by the staff of the university.

The students said that instead of hiring staff on higher grades despite lamenting financial constraints, the university should regularise the services of 500 Class-4 and Class-3 employees.

“Our basic demands were not met and our protest would continue. We want the university administration to follow up on some 500 harassment complaints filed to the relevant committee and take action against the alleged persons,” said Bilal Khan, the chairman of MTM.

The protesters said that they would continue their protest as university administration was not paying any attention to their peaceful agitation on some serious issues.

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2017