University of Peshawar closure following violence
UoP students of remote regions feel displaced after campus closure
Peshawar, March 30: The students from Kurram Agency, Chitral and Quetta at the
University of Peshawar (UoP) have been displaced after the closure of
the university due to the violence following the killing of Adnan Abdul
Qadir, a student of the NWFP University of Engineering & Technology. Talking from Shabqadar by phone on Monday, a group of the students
from Kurram Agency said they could not go to their homes due to their
studies. They said the students from far-flung areas had no
option but to live with their colleagues in various areas after the
closure of the university till an indefinite period. The road to
Parachinar in Kurram Agency from Peshawar, which was opened under the
security forces escort, has been closed again for all kinds of
vehicular traffic after two incidents took place in Thall tehsil of
Hangu district, leaving 19 dead and 45 injured. Kurram Agency's Nasir Hussain said: "I don't know when will the university reopen but I can neither stay here nor go home." Subhan
Turi, a master's of commerce student, said the university
administration had allotted them Allama Iqbal Hostel for their
temporary stay where they were forced to sleep on the ground. Bilal
Hussain, a BBA student, said: "It is better to go home instead of
living in a place where one cannot concentrate on their studies
properly." He demanded of the government to set a deadline about the
reopening of the university. Regarding the law and order
situation and apathy of the government, the students said Naeem and
Naseem Khan, both first year students, were kidnapped and killed by
unidentified miscreants, but the government had not paid compensation
to the bereaved families so far. Subhan Turi said the students
could not go home to Kurram Agency due to exorbitant fare, ie Rs5000,
and sometimes Rs15,000 per head via Afghanistan as the road from
Peshawar to Parachinar via Hangu and Thall was closed. Another
student, Musarrat Hussain, said: "I have not been home since October
2008 because of the prevailing situation." He added that he had also
lost contact with the family for the last four months due to poor
services of the mobile phones' networks. About 150 female
students among 950 students of Kurram Agency are studying at the
University of Peshawar and most of them are facing the same problem.
Most of the female students from Parachinar have to stay at private
hostels as there was not enough space in the hostels of the university. The
male students complained that the government had been doing injustice
to the people of Kurram Agency as the Fata Medical College approved for
Parachinar in the Kurram agency had been shifted to Khyber Agency and
cadet colleges were being set up in Mohmand and South Waziristan tribal
agencies. They maintained that in the past about 100 to 150
tribal students used to get admission in the University of Peshawar,
saying that due to closure of Peshawar-Parachinar road only 20 to 30
students of the area could get access to the facility. They said
educational institutions in Kurram Agency could not conduct their
examinations in time owing to the security situation. They said the
results came late and the successful students could not get admissions
in the colleges and universities of Peshawar.
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Ban on IJT demanded
Peshawar: The Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM) has urged the government to
ban the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) for its alleged links with
'militants' and to avoid disturbances in future at the University of
Peshawar campus. Speaking at a news conference here Monday,
Tariq Afghan, president of the Azad Pakhtun Students Federation (APSF)
- a member of the MTM - alleged the IJT workers had killed Adnan Abdul
Qadir by beating him with sticks having pins. It may be recalled
here that the clashes between IJT and PkSF erupted after the killing of
a final year student, Adnan, in the University of Peshawar a few days
ago and later the university administration closed the institution for
an indefinite period. Flanked by representatives of other
student organisations, he accused the IJT of having 'links' with
militants and other extremist factions. The IJT, he said, wanted to
enforce its ideology at gunpoint in the university, adding that the use
of force would not be tolerated. He said that Adnan was enjoying music
in his room, not in the classroom, but the IJT activists attacked him
for listening to the music. He alleged that about 200 IJT activists
entered the room and tortured Adnan, who later succumbed to his
injuries. To a query about music shows in the university, Tariq
Afghan said they themselves did not like any music shows in the
university but if a student listened to it in his room, nobody had the
right to stop him by force.
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Students clash in Landikotal
Landikotal: Two students were injured in a clash between two student groups in the
Government Degree College here, sources said on Monday. An eyewitness
said two students in the college exchanged harsh words outside the
examination hall, which later led to a scuffle. The papers of FA and
FSc examination were in progress when the incident took place.
Meanwhile, a few students of one group resorted to firing into the air
that created panic in the college examination hall, sources added. The
rival student groups attacked each other with knives and stones causing
injuries to two students. One of the injured students was identified as
Afshar Afridi who was in fact trying to reconcile the two groups. The
Khassadars force personnel rushed to the college but no arrest was
made. Later, a jirga of elders and officials of political
administration resolved the matter peacefully. The news
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