ISLAMABAD: Students of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) on Friday held protest against absence of required facilities affecting academic activities as well as the inaugural session of International Social Sciences conference.

The students, mostly living at QAU hostels, gathered early morning
and protested against lack of facilities in the hostel, water shortage, additional charges and unresolved thesis matters.

The students gave ten-minutes deadline to the university administration and later on closed all the gates of the University, smashed the glasses of University’s premises by hurling stones.

The University called the Police officials when the situation went out of control. The Police baton-charged the protesting students, causing injuries to 7 students.

The protesters said that they are facing acute water shortage in the
hostel while they are paying huge amounts for availing the residence facility and administration is not paying heed to any of their complaints.

Some of them said that their thesis matters were pending for a long time, their time and resources. The administration has become habitual of imposing fines on students on one pretext or the other.

An official of QAU informed that the protestors restrained the delegates from entering into the university and attending the conference which created an awkward situation.

Later on, the situation was handled and the conference was conducted, he said.

Federal Law Minister Farooq H. Naek and Chairman Higher Education
Commission (HEC) Javed Leghari were guests at the conference.

The students protested against water shortage, additional charges, library and transport issues and took advantage of the presence of media to highlight their problems.

The protests got so intense that the University officials decided to close it for two days.