PESHAWAR: Various civil society organisations have extended support to the students of University of Peshawar who have been protesting against increase in fee.

The representatives of the CSOs have asked the provincial government and the university administration to accept demands of the protesting students.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, Shabeena Ayaz, resident director of Aurat Foundation, supported the demands of the students, who had been staging sit-in for last couple of weeks at the university against increase in fee.

She said that CSOs would extend all possible support to the protesting students for fulfillment of their legitimate demands.

Threaten to join protest if govt fails to accept demands of students

She said that a meeting of the university syndicate would be held today on December 12 that should accept all demands of the protesting students. She threatened to join the protest of students if their demands were not accepted.

Ms Ayaz said that the university teachers had always used dropout system and disciplinary committee as tools against the students in such cases.

She demanded of the government to form an impartial fact-finding committee of members of provincial assembly and civil society to take action against the university teachers involved in this illegal practice to create problems for students.

Ms Ayaz said that the committee should conduct inquiry into all financial, administrative and departmental aspects of the issue to suggest punishment for the people responsible for the irresponsible decisions. “If provincial assembly fails to form the committee then civil society organisations would take the initiative to investigate the alleged irregularities,” she added.

Flanked by Pakhtunkhwa Olasi Tehreek convener Dr Said Alam Mehsud, Nusrat Ara of South Asian Partnership Programme, representatives of Khwendo Kor, Takhra Qabaili Khwendy and Fata Lawyers Forum, Ms Ayaz said that revival of students union was the only solution to the all those issues.

She said that the joint investigation team, formed for Mashal Khan lynching case, had asked the government to take action against the officials of police and university administration but no action was taken against them.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Said Alam Meshud said that university administration did not take the demands of the protesting students seriously that deteriorated the situation on the campus.

He criticised provincial government for not taking prompt measures to end the standoff between the university administration and the protesting students. He asked the authorities to accept the demands of the students to end uncertainty at the university.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017