PESHAWAR, June 22: Students of the Saidu Medical College, Swat, are observing a hunger strike here to pressure the government to grant their institution an affiliation with the Peshawar University.

The college’s final year students set up a hunger strike camp near the Peshawar Press Club on Friday. Pledging to continue their strike till the acceptance of their demand, they said the college administration had indicated in its prospectus for 2002-03 that the institution was affiliated with the University of Peshawar.

They said the academic career of about 250 students was at stake because foreign universities did not recognise the Malakand University with which their college was presently affiliated.

Chairman of the Students’ Action Committee Qadir Khan said that on merit, the college ranked third behind the Khyber, Peshawar and Ayub medical colleges in the province.

He regretted that the government had linked the Gomal Medical College and the Bannu Medical College with the Peshawar University only 20 days ago.

The government, he said, had de-linked the Gomal Medical College and Ayub Medical College from the Gomal University in Dera Ismail Khan and the Hazara University, respectively. He said that using the same criteria, Saidu Medical College should be de-linked from the Malakand University and affiliated with the University of Peshawar instead.

“The NWFP governor had asked the college administration if they wanted the college to be affiliated with the University of Peshawar. But the governor’s letter had been ignored by the college administration,” he said.

Mr Khan said the protesting students had met some provincial ministers but the matter came under the domain of the governor.

He said that a committee comprising students and provincial ministers should meet NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai to apprise him about the students’ problems.