PESHAWAR: Students representing different federations and societies Wednesday staged a protest and sit-in to press the administration of the University of Peshawar (UoP) to accept their demands. The protesting students gathered at the Pearl Lawn of the campus to stage the protest.They were led by campus president of People’s Students Federation Riaz Yousafzai and leaders of other federations and society. After passing through different routes, they reached the main square in the university near the Law College and blocked it for some time. From there they started a protest procession towards the administration block where they staged a sit-in. The sit-in started at 12 o’clock and continued till late in the night. The protesting students were of the opinion that the university administration has increased the admission and other charges by 40 percent, which were unbearable for majority of the students. “The children of the university teachers and administrative officers are getting education free of cost and they are least concerned about the burden on the poor students. After the heavy increase in the fees, it was almost impossible for the students to continue their studies,” Riaz Yousafzai told The News. He also condemned the abolishment of the evening shift in the university due to which thousands of students missed the opportunity to get admissions. The students also demanded changes in the semester system and removal of flaws in the examination system. They sought the provision of scholarship to the students of Chitral, Malakand division and tribal areas as announced by the prime minister. Late in the evening Vice-Chancellor Dr Rasul Jan called a delegation of the protesting students for talks. The talks continued till late in the night and finally resulted in winding up of the sit-in. The university administration agreed to form a six-member committee comprising three members each from the students and university officials to review fees. The committee would submit its recommendations within one week.
