PU defends mess charges hike

PUNJAB University Hall Council Chairman Prof Dr Saeed Ahmad Nagra, in a press conference at the University Executive Club on Wednesday, explained that due to high inflation, the minimum raise in hostels’ mess fee was made in July. Flaying the protest against the raise, he said the decision was taken in a meeting of wardens and superintendents.

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, after a period of four months, a group of students protested against the raise in mess fee in front of the vice-chancellor’s house at the New Campus on Tuesday night in which over 75 per cent students were outsiders. The students were brought from other colleges of the city. The protesters used foul language against the teachers. Hafiz Farhan of the Islamic Studies Department of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) led the mob. The press release alleged that Hafiz Farhan himself is illegally living in Room No 50 of Hostel No 15 as the room had not been allotted to him. Moreover, he was IJT’s Nazim at the Sargodha University and he had sent to the PU under a specific mission. Other accomplices of Hafiz Farhan, including Sabir Shah and Abdul Hafeez Tahir, were also from the same group and they were not PU students. They are illegal occupants in at PU Old Campus hostel while Abdul Hafeez Tahir had also been given a warning recently during a raid in Old Campus hostel.

Dr Saeed Nagra said that a press release from the same group was issued on Tuesday in which it was stated that the PU Hall Council chairman had promised to reduce the fee within three days. He said the press release was baseless and fictional which was published in newspapers. He said an emergency meeting of wardens and superintendents was called on Tuesday in which it was decided that a minor raise in the hostel mess fee was inevitable. However, he said, a notice was issued to all the heads of the departments and they were directed to hold meeting with hostel students of their departments and submit a report to him so that the matter could be raised in the next meeting of wardens and superintendents.

Dr Nagra said all the wardens and superintendents of the PU had condemned the way the students had protested. He said the students, despite submitting application to the administration, gathered outside students in the university at night and raised slogans which disturbed the peaceful environment of the university. Narrating the real situation, Nagra said the group had illegally occupied hostels and offices had been established at Hostel No 1, which were removed. After that these occupants moved to Khalid Bin Waleed Hall at Old Campus and the administration also expelled them from there and resultantly they protested with the help of outside students. Dr Saeed Nagra said that no pressure from illegal and expelled students would be bore. Adviser Students Dr Muhammad Makshoof Athar was also present on the occasion.PU results: The Punjab University on Wednesday declared the results of BSc (Hons) Computer Sciences, MA Philosophy, MA Women’s Studies, MA Punjabi, MA Arabic and MA Social Work, part-.

According to a press release issued, in BSc (Hons) Computer Sciences, semester system, session 2002-2006, a total of 135 candidates appeared and 76 were declared successful while result of 17 candidates was late. In MA Philosophy, part-I, annual examination 2008, 180 candidates appeared and 26 were declared successful. In MA Women’s Studies, part-I, annual Examination 2008, 14 candidates appeared and 13 were declared successful. As many as 620 candidates appeared in MA Punjabi, part-I, annual examination 2008, and 454 were declared successful. 348 candidates appeared in MA Arabic, part-I, annual examination 2008, and 199 passed the exa