FAISALABAD, May 6: Scores of students of the National Textile University on Tuesday threw traffic out of gear on Sheikhupura Road to press the administration for acceptance of their demands.

Chief among the demands is the NTU’s accreditation with the Pakistan Engineering Council. The PEC acceptance is highly important for the NTU students to have recognition of their degrees in the job market.

Students from different departments, carrying placards and banners, blocked traffic on the Sheikhupura Road for one and-a-half hours and chanted slogans against the institute administration. They demanded expulsion of the All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association, the organising body of the NTU, from the institute. The students dispersed before the police reached the spot.

Earlier, they had staged demonstrations outside the press club and the university campus.

The students have been protesting since April 2 the NTU administration’s failure to get the varsity accredited with the PEC despite repeated requests. They said the vice-chancellor and his team were trying to suppress the students’ movement, resolving to go ahead with the road protests “if our legitimate demands are not accepted by the administration.”

Sources said the Students Action Committee also dispatched a letter to the VC with a request to consider the case instead of prevaricating on the issue. They said the National University of Science & Technology (NUST) kept its students updated regarding the process of accreditation with the PEC through its website, which also showed transparency and sincere efforts towards the cause of the students.