PESHAWAR, June 17: Many students of Peshawar University have criticized the way students have been selected to attend a conference to be held in Germany in August.

In accordance with an understanding between the government of Germany and the Peshawar University, the former had to invite the students under the Youth Exchange Programme to Eurfert Institute, Germany, to participate in the conference being held on “the Image of Islam in the West”.

According to rules laid down for the selection, all the 10 attending participants should have first class first division with the condition of their being the students of the university of the current sessions.

But, many students alleged, the selection had been marred by favouritism by the chairman of the Department of Journalism, who had been entrusted with the task of approving the final list of the selectees. According to the enraged students, many of the deserving candidates had been deprived of their right to avail themselves of the opportunity as the blue-eyed students had been selected.

Two days ago, students of the journalism department tried to lodge protest with the vice-chancellor against the concerned teachers but he was out of his office. According to the students, most of the selected students didn’t fulfil the criteria laid down by DAAD, a Germany-based organization which had sponsored the event.

Among the selectees are Mohammad Shafiq Bangash, shown as a student of the journalism department, had actually left the university two years ago. Aimal Khan, another selectee, is a BBA student at the IMS. A person who is currently staying in the United Kingdom, has also been selected while Ms Anosh, a lecturer at Jinnah College for Women, has been shown a student.

Other selectees include Hasan Bangash, a former student of the History Department; Madeeha and Nausheen, both from the Psychology Department; and Nilofar and Hasnain from the departments of Social Work and Economics, respectively.