PESHAWAR, Feb 11: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has warned students of various public sector universities to abstain from politics on the campus and concentrate on their studies.

He said that the students must not indulge in political activities, because by doing so they become pawns in the hands of political parties who used them for their vested interests.

Speaking at the concluding ceremony of the convention 2005 at the University of Peshawar on Friday, the governor said that involvement of students in politics caused disunity among them, developed friction and destroyed peaceful environment on the campuses.

To nip the evil in the bud, the university administration should come down heavily on the self-proclaimed student leaders who did nothing but disturbed peace on the campuses, he observed.

He advised the students to seek knowledge to enable themselves to shoulder life's responsibilities. The governor said that universities should equip students with education which promoted inquisitiveness, developed tolerance, shunned extremism and inculcated humility.

On this occasion, students from various universities of the province participated in a declamation contest, and nine students, including three from Fata, became successful to participate in the national declamation contest to be held in Islamabad soon.