GILGIT: Students of Karakoram Inter­national University (KIU) on Tues­day staged a demonstration against fee hikes and accused the management of providing scholarships to “blue-eyed” students.

A large number of students from KIU’s Gilgit campus gathered outside the university and blocked the University Road for many hours. They claimed the management has incre­ased the fee every semester without any reason.

They said KIU was the only public sector university in the region due to which underprivileged students from far-flung areas were enrolled here.

The university was not allowing the students to enter classrooms without paying the fees, the protesters claimed.

They also alleged that the university managem­e­­nt didn’t provide any scholarships to deserving students.

“Only blue-eyed students were being given government scholarships,” they said.

They added that poor and deserving students have been deprived.

Protesters chanted slogans against the management and the vice chancellor and appealed to the federal government to intervene in the situation.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2022