CHARSADDA: Students of the Government Postgraduate College, Charsadda, held a protest demonstration here on Tuesday and chanted slogans against the higher education department (HED) for making exorbitant increase in the college admission fee.

Addressing the protesters, leaders of student unions, including Islami Jamiat Talba and Pakhtun Students Federation, criticised the government for increase in the college fee, saying it was tantamount to closing the doors of education on poor students.

They said that most of the needy students had secured admission in the government colleges for affordable education, but the HED had added to their miseries by increasing the fee amid rising inflation.

The protesters said if the decision to increase fee was not withdrawn they would start staging protests on a daily basis.

FARMERS PROTEST: The farmers affected by recent floods staged a demonstration here the other day and accused the officials of agriculture department of ignoring them and distributing wheat seeds and fertilisers among the undeserving people.

They gathered in front of the agriculture department office in Charsadda and demanded the government to take action against the officials responsible for nepotism and depriving the flood victims of seeds for cultivation purpose.

They demanded the authorities to provide seeds and fertilisers to the deserving local farmers and landowners.

Addressing the protesters, Geedar Agra village council nazim Fazal Wahab and others said that crops in their lands had been damaged extensively by floods. He alleged that the agriculture officials ignored them and sold the tokens to the undeserving people.

WORKSHOP: A one-day workshop in connection with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence was organised here on Tuesday by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women in collaboration with the District Committee on the Status of Women, Charsadda.

Additional deputy commissioner Sania Safi, district officer social welfare Shoaib Khan, KPCSW’s Emil Khan,Faiz Mohammad of Mohammadzai Union of Journalists, DCSW chairperson Nausheen Niaz and others spoke on the occasion.

They said parents, scholars and teachers should play their role for the creation of a peaceful, civilised and rights-based society.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2022