Fuuast students demand affiliation with pharmacy council

Demanding affiliation with the Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP), hundreds of students of the pharmacy department of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (Fuuast) protested in the city on Wednesday.

The protest began in front of Zainab Market, causing a massive traffic jam at the busy roads there. The South DC negotiated with the students and assured them that their issue would be addressed in a week.

After a successful negotiation, the students dispersed from the site, but later some of them regrouped in front of the Karachi Press Club and some of them moved towards the regional office of the PCP. They chanted slogans against the Fuuast administration and officials of the pharmacy council.

At a press conference, Hassan Ghazi, a protester, said the students of the Fuuast pharmacy department had filed a case against the varsity and PCP. The two-member bench had decided the case on February 20 and ordered officials to give registration to the students.

He added that since 2010, the varsity has been offering pharmacy courses to the students but without any pre-admission test. Currently, around 300 students of six batches are enrolled in the evening program of the pharmacy department at Fuuast. “Earlier this year, the court had decided our case but neither PCP officials nor the Fuuast management intends to implement the verdict,” said Niaz Ali Khan, petitioner of the case.     He said the unprofessional behaviour of Fuuast’s senior officials has put the future of hundreds of students in jeopardy. “If the varsity was not affiliated with PCP, then why blame goes to the students because they were not informed at the time of admission.