Via The News
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Islamia College University echoed with slogans of ‘Go Imran Go’ when Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pervez Khattak, visited the campus here on Thursday.
On the other hand, the chief minister stated that the employees triggering the protest were corrupt.The Class-III and Class-IV employees of the four universities of the campus observed a protest day on the visit of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to the Islamia College. The employees staged a big protest gathering on the sidelines of the book launching ceremony that was addressed by the chief minister.
The protesters chanted slogans of ‘Go Imran Go’ and ‘Go Khattak Go’, which triggered tension in the university.The activists of the Insaf Students Federation arrived at the demonstration and chanted counter slogans. The police intervened and averted a clash between the employees and students.
The universities’ employees were demanding regularisation of the contract employees and a raise in salaries in line with the increase announced by the government in the budget. The protesters later arranged a protest rally and also boycotted their jobs.
Asked by a reporter about the demonstration, the chief minister said it was a reaction to the process of change. “When new things are introduced, vested interest resists it. But we will bring about the change irrespective of such protests,” he said.
Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said that he did not even keep a knife but the federal government had implicated him in a terrorism case and lodged the first information report (FIR) against him.
“We are politicians. We are not afraid of FIRs, arrest warrants and prisons. We were fired upon and teargassed in Islamabad. No inquiry was conducted in this regard and instead an FIR was lodged against us,” the chief minister told the media after a book launching ceremony at the historic Islamia College.
He said the prime minister was charged in a murder case and no action was taken against him. He said the FIR against the chief minister of a smaller province would have serious repercussions.
The chief minister ruled out any serious tension between the ruling and opposition parties in the provincial assembly, expressing his optimism that the matter would be resolved soon.Earlier, Pervez Khattak launched a book on the history of Islamia College Peshawar, authored by noted historian late Prof Dr Lal Baha. The book launching ceremony was organised by the Senior Alumni Association (SAA) at the Roos Keppel Hall of the institution.
The ceremony was also addressed by Vice Chancellor of the university Ajmal Khan, SAA President Lt Gen (retd) Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai, the brother of the author, Dr Mashooq Ali, Secretary SAA Col (retd) Jamil Ahmad and others.
Senior alumni, faculty members and a good number of students attended the ceremony.In his speech, the chief minister eulogised the academic standards of the Islamia College University and its services for the academic uplift of the province since its establishment in 1913.
He said that health, education, law and order and provision of justice were priorities of his government. He said that his government was utilising all resources to facilitate the people in these three sectors so that a common man should feel the change.
Pervez Khattak announced to fund an academic block, two hostels for girls’ students and a library at the Islamia College for Girls. He also announced to donate an ambulance for the students of the university, besides constructing an overhead bridge adjacent to the main Jamrud Road outside the university.
The chief minister said the provincial government did not have a dearth of funds and all the development projects of the university would be fully funded.Vice Chancellor Ajmal Khan said that Islamia College administration lauded the contribution of Dr Lal Baha. He said the book was a priceless gift for the coming generations.
He drew the attention of the chief minister towards a number of problems of the university. He suggested that the government should take measures for the return of Islamia College’s property with the Agriculture Department and allocate land in Regi Lalma so that the Islamia College could effectively run its academic programmes in the new places.
Online adds: Employees of key universities of Peshawar staged a protest in support of their demands.According to reports, employees of universities, including Agricultural University, Khyber Medical University, Engineering University and Islamia University, staged aprotest in support of their demands.
Protesters chanted slogans against the KP government and PTI over refusal of their demands, following which students of universities got angry and cordoned off the protesters and started chanting slogans of ‘Go Nawaz Go’. However, no clash or injury was witnessed.
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