Govt under pressure to accept varsity students demands

PESHAWAR: The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Monday urged the provincial government and university administration to accept demands of the protesting students of University of Peshawar.

Speaking at a news conference here, Shabina Ayaz, Resident Director of Aurat Foundation and others supported demands of the students, protesting for the last several weeks in the university campus.

She extended her organization’s support till the acceptance of their genuine demands.

Shabina Ayaz said the university syndicate meeting would be held on December 12 (today), which should accept all demands of the protesting students, and implement them with letter and spirit, or else they would become part of their campaign.

She said the university teachers had always used dropout system, disciplinary committee and thesis as tools against the male and female students.

Shabina Ayaz demanded of the provincial government and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to constitute an impartial fact-finding committee, comprising members of the assembly, and civil society to recommend action against the teaching staff involved in this illegal practice.

She said committee should conduct inquiry against all financial, administrative, departmental and moral aspects to ensure exemplary punishment to involved people.

Pakhtunkhwa Ulasi Tehreek convener, Dr Said Alam Mehsud, Nusrat Ara from South Asian Partnership, and representatives of Khwendo Kor, Takhra Qabaili Khwendy, and Fata Lawyers Forum were also present on the occasion.

Shabina Ayaz recalled that Joint Investigation Team (JIT) into Mashal Khan lynching case had asked the provincial government to take action against the police officials and the university administration but the government had not taken any action in this regard.

She demanded the provincial government to take action against these two departments as well in the Mashal lynching case.