DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The present and former employees of Gomal University Dera Ismail Khan took to streets here on Tuesday against the non-payment of their salaries and pensions.

Carrying placards inscribed with their demands, hundreds of employees and pensioners marched from the City Campus of university to press club. They demanded of the authorities concerned to take measures for payment of their long overdue salaries and pensions.

Addressing the protesters, Dr Noor Mohammad, Riaz Khan, Ejaz Hussain Qureshi, Dr Sanaullah and Inayatulllah said that Gomal University’s financial deficit bulged to Rs1 billion owing to reduction in the budget of Higher Education Commission (HEC) by the government.

They demanded of the authorities to provide a bailout package to the university as it was experiencing serious financial crisis. They said that they would close the university if government did not resolve its financial problems within three days.

The speakers said that pensioners and women employees of the university were leading miserable lives as they had not been paid their salaries and pensions for several months. They alleged that intervention by PTI leader Sardar Ali Amin Gandapur in its affairs was also a reason for the financial problems of the university.

They said that Ali Amin Gandapur started a protest when Vice-chancellor Dr Iftikhar Ahmed ordered recovery of dues from students after he came to know that political workers were residing in the hostel of the university.

They said that Mr Gandapur threatened the vice-chancellor and then sent him on forced leave through acting governor Mushtaq Ghani.

Prof Abdur Rahim Khan, a pensioner, told this scribe that Gomal University produced leading scientists, bankers, judges, lawyers, academicians and bureaucrats, who were playing major role in the development of the country. He said that the current financial crisis caused unrest among the present and former employees of the university.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2022