LAHORE: The Pashtun students, who had been holding a ‘sit-in’ outside the Governor House since March 6, ended their protest on Sunday after the Punjab government accepted their all demands. The development came a day after two protesting students of the Islamia University Bahawalpur were admitted to hospital due to their non-stop hunger strike for the last five days.

Addressing a press conference flanked by Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Deputy Chairman Senate Mirza Ahmed Afridi said he along with the students held a meeting with the governor in which they accepted all the demands of the protesting students.

As per the decisions, the Punjab government would establish sub-campuses of the Punjab University in Fata and Government Collage University in Gilgit Baltistan, respectively. Besides, at least 1000 students including 200 girls/women from Fata would be given 100 percent scholarships in different varsities of Punjab.

Governor Chaudhry Sarwar said that as per decision of the federal cabinet around 1,000 Pashtun students would be given 100 percent scholarships in different public-sector universities of the province till 2027. “In today’s meeting, it was also decided that the KPK government would allot us a piece of land where we would establish a sub-campus of the Punjab University,” he said, adding that the construction work would be started immediately after the approval of varsity’s syndicate meeting.

He assured the students of talking all possible measures for redressing their hostels related issues amid third wave of the coronavirus. Availability of “undisrupted internet facility” would be ensured, added the governor.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021