Peshawar University protests over disappearances enter third day

Peshawar [Pakistan] December 18 : A demonstration by students from various organisations at the University of Peshawar continued into its third day on Thursday, protesting the disappearance of two fellow students, as reported by Dawn.

The protesters, led by the Waziristan Students' Society, traversed different departments and compelled students to abstain from classes.

They also pressured the closure of Madina Market, Coffee Shop, and Green Chilli restaurants located on campus. The students demanded the swift return of Khubaib Wazir, a third-semester student in the International Relations Department, and Adnan Wazir, a fifth-semester student in the Political Science Department.

They claimed that unidentified individuals abducted both students while they were heading back to campus after attending the Grand Jirga, organised by the provincial government at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on November 12.

The protesters set up a protest camp outside Khyber Medical College and obstructed the main road leading to the campus, according to the Dawn report.

The Waziristan Students' Society initiated the protest, with members of the ruling PTI's Insaf Student Federation taking a prominent role.

Students emphasised that it was the provincial government's duty to ensure the safety of individuals, particularly those participating in a meeting held on the provincial assembly grounds.

An activist from the Pakhtunkhwa Student Federation stated that the students taken by unidentified individuals were not affiliated with the PTM but were instead part of the Waziristan Students' Society.

He mentioned that Khubaib Wazir served as the "stage secretary" of the WSS, while Adnan Wazir was a former media coordinator for the organisation. The activist indicated that a student delegation had approached Chief Minister Sohail Afridi days earlier to request immediate action for the recovery of the missing students, but he had failed to deliver, as reported by Dawn.

"Neither the police nor any government agency has taken steps for the return of the students, even 34 days after they were reported missing," he remarked. The activist stated that the vice chancellor had consented to engage in discussions with the demonstrators. "If negotiations do not yield results, we [the protestors] will reveal our Plan B," he stated, as quoted by the Dawn report.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor