PESHAWAR, Nov 28: The Pakhtoon Students Federation (PkSF) has accused the the Agricultural University administration of illegally rusticating 10 students and demanded of NWFP Governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah to take notice of the discriminatory action of the vice chancellor (VC) against the students.
Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club here on Thursday, the central president of the students body, Sardar Ahmad Khan Yousafzai, alleged that the university VC had rusticated the students on the charge of creating law and order situation at campus.
All the students facing rustication belong to the PkSF.
The president said the students had been accused of firing at the campus and sent to jail. He claimed that there had been a fighting between two individuals who had resorted to aerial firing, but the PkSF was blamed for the incidence.
The central president, flanked by PkSF’s university unit President Naseer Khan, said the rustication was illegal because under the laid down rules, the students should be given a chance to clarify their position before the disciplinary committee prior to initiation of any action.
But, he said, the action against the students had been taken promptly setting aside the rules, and the poor students had ended up in jail for no fault of theirs. He said the students were rusticated on Sept 20, when they were not even present at the campus.
Mr Yousafzai said the PkSF was against violence, and it always preferred negotiated settlement of all issues confronting students.
He also alleged that the vice chancellor was adamant to listen to their genuine grievances, which had created unrest among the students.
“The VC says that like him (VC), the governor is also a Hindko speaking person and wants to teach a lesson to the Pakhtoons. He also says the governor is his best friend, and he has allowed him (VC) to do whatever he wants”, Mr Yousafzai said and questioned that if the governor was VC’s friend, then with whom the innocent students should lodge their complaints?
He also said the students were running from pillar to post to get rooms in hostels while guests of provost of the university and outsiders had been allowed to stay in the hostels illegally.
The central president said the blue-eyed wardens of the hostels appointed by the provost stayed at official residences, which deprived teachers of becoming wardens, and the poor lecturers had to pay for residing in the hostels.
He said the provost had appointed a personal security guard, which was also against the law. The students were afraid of visiting the provost’s office to get their problems resolved, he added.
He also alleged that the institution had been converted into a police state. The police patrols at the campus harassed the students and deprived them of raising voice against the wrongdoings committed by the administration.
The central president demanded of NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah to order a probe into matter and do justice with the students.
In the meanwhile, the students announced that they would hold protest demonstration in front of the press club.
SIT-IN: The Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) on Thursday staged a sit-in in front of the vice-chancellor’s office at the University of Peshawar against a raise in hostel fee and quota policy in the allotment of rooms to students.
The students, led by university IJT Nazim Abidur Rehman, also passed through various roads and raised slogans against what they termed the anti-students policies pursued by the administration.
The Nazim said the hostel fee had been raised from Rs3,700 to Rs7,000, which was unaffordable to most of the students. They also presented a charter of demands at the VC office.
Speaking to the protesting students, Mr Rehman said the government at the behest of the IMF and World Bank was hell bent upon depriving the students of getting education, the main evidence of which was the proposed universities model act.
He also said the quota policy deprived the students of getting rooms in the hostel as every department had been given specified number of rooms, though students of all the departments did not need rooms.
He demanded that an open policy should be adopted in the allotment of rooms at the hostel so that deserving students could be accommodated.
The students boycotted classes on the call of the IJT and held a protest demonstration in front of the Institute of Management Sciences. They vowed to continue the protest against the wrong and the anti-students policies of the government.
The students also presented a memorandum to the MMA’s nominee for senior minister slot in the NWFP, Sirajul Haq, in front of the Khyber Medical College.