KARACHI, April 24: Following a series of clashes between the activists of All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organization (APMSO) and Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) at many of the city’s universities and colleges over the past many days, the two sides held talks at Idara Noor-i-Haq here on Thursday to resolve their differences.

Moin Khan, an MQM MPA, and two APMSO leaders, Mr Tahir and Mr Nabeel, represented the APMSO whereas Nasrullah Shajee, an MMA MPA, and two IJT leaders, Mr Tahir Akbar and Mr Osama Shafique, represented the IJT at the talks.

Both the sides expressed their willingness to resolve the differences through meaningful dialogue and refrain from indulging in violence. They agreed to bring any incident of provocation by the rival side into the knowledge of the group’s leadership instead of resorting to counter the provocation through violent attacks.

They also agreed that they would not bring any outsider into an educational institution and that students of morning shift would not interfere into the affairs of those in evening shift of such institutions.

The two sides promised not to use firearms in the event of clashes at any educational institution or at any other place. Kidnapping or the rival’s activists would also be discouraged, they pledged.

They further agreed that only genuine students of an educational institution would have the right to enter into his educational institution and take part in academic and extra-curricular activities.

Both the sides pledged that any matter of conflict arising between them would be referred to the authorities of the concerned educational institution.

They promised to discourage creating trouble, provoking violence and clashes, attacking residences of the rival activists and indulging in any unlawful act.

While holding negotiations in a friendly atmosphere, both the student groups expressed their grief and sorrow over the trouble and sufferings of students during the flare up at educational institutions and pledged not to let such incidents recur.—PPI