PESHAWAR, Dec 26: The newly-elected provincial president and general secretary of the Pukhtun Students Federation (PkSF) have demanded revival of student unions so that the role of the organisations backed by political parties in colleges and universities may be checked.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, provincial president of the PkSF Shakeelur Rehman Burki and general secretary Azeem Khan Yousafzai condemned the alleged eviction of Pukhtuns from their residential and commercial areas in Karachi. They warned that if the indifferent attitude against the community in the port city continued it might put national integrity at stake.

They said that the NWFP and the tribal areas lacked higher education institutions of information technology and engineering, professional colleges and vocational institutions. As a result, the tribal youth were inclined towards extremism and lawlessness, they stressed. They said killings were regularly taking place in the tribal area.

They said the Pukhtuns were being dubbed as Taliban and terrorists but they had always remained non-violent, progressive and democrats.

They said the fees in institutions of higher education in the NWFP were higher than those in other provinces.

The student leaders vowed to continue their efforts to unite the Pukhtuns alongside the leadership of the Awami National Party.