Baloch student at the Islamia University Bahawalpur ended their protest sit-in after the university administration agreed to meet their demands. The varsity issued a notification announcing that the scholarships earmarked for the students of Balochistan and the erstwhile FATA will be reinstated. The federal government will pay half the price and the university will cover the other half.
According to reports, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif directed the authorities to reinstate the scholarships for the students of Balochistan and FATA in a meeting chaired by the Governor of Punjab. The premier also met with Haji Lashkari Raisani.
The meeting took place at the Governor House in Lahore where the Islamia University Bahawalpur Chancellor Baligh Ur Rehman, Federal Education Minister Rana Tanvir, former Senator Haji Lashkari Raisani, former Senator Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, former minister Mir Humayoun Aziz Kurd, Vice-Chancellor Islamia University Bahawalpur Dr. Akhtar was present. HEC executives and education ministry officials were also present at the meeting.
The issues confronting the Baloch students enrolled in different universities of Punjab were brought to the spotlight, especially the issue of the slashing of scholarships, allotments of hostels and the alleged harassment and racial profiling.
Soon after the meeting, the Islamia University Bahawalpur issued an official notification, announcing that the university would not collect the remainder of the fees from the students of Balochistan and erstwhile FATA. The varsity also announced that the scholarships designated for these students will be reinstated and promptly delivered. The government of Pakistan will pay for half of the scholarships and the university will cover the other half.
The notification further said that the fee already collected from the students will be returned to them in full.
The Governor of Punjab assured Haji Lashkari Raisani in Wednesday’s meeting that the issues of the Baloch students will be resolved. The governor further said the Punjab government will take concrete measures to ensure that the students from Balochistan don’t face any issues in the future.