PESHAWAR Oct 3: The students of the Continental Electronic Communication-Oriented System (CECOS) University on Monday demanded of the president and the NWFP governor to ensure the university recognition by the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) for which they had been struggling since 2001.

The demand was made by president of the CECOS Students Forum Mir Hussain at a press conference. He said that the CECOS University had been registered with PEC since 2001 but when they completed their engineering course in 2001 the PEC denied them recognition. The press conference was also attended by dozens of students of the university, including general secretary of the Student Forum Bakhtiar Khan.

Mir Hussain said that the PEC had victimized students by not recognizing them due to which they were not offered jobs in government departments. He said that for the last four years 92 students of the university had suffered a lot despite having earned engineering degrees.

He said high court had also decided in their favour and directed the PEC to recognize them within three months but the PEC was violating the court orders.

He said the students moved contempt application and the court did issue notice to PEC but the PEC was yet to recognize them.

They demanded of the government to check monopoly of the PEC and transfer all its power to the High Education Commission (HEC) to secure future of the students.

Talking to reporters, one of the students, Bakhtiar Khan, said that he was appointed as sub-divisional officer (SDO) in Peshawar Electric Supply Company but when its department learnt that he was not recognized by the PEC revoked his appointment.