Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences (BUITMS) students' hunger strike ends
Quetta: The eleven-day long 'unto death' hunger strike by Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences (BUITMS) students seeking a new admission policy based on open merit at district level finally ended on Monday.
Around four hundred Baloch students had been on a strike at BUITMS for more than a week to press the government to review the current admission policy at BUITMS by replacing the 70 percent open merit with a district-based merit.
Committee: The strike was called off following a meeting between the students and Balochistan Assembly (BA) Speaker Aslam Bhootani and Provincial Minister for Irrigation Sardar Aslam Bezinjo. On their visit to the hunger strike camp in front of the Quetta Press Club, they informed the students that the governor had formed a twelve-member committee to solve the issue within a week.
Bezinjo told reporters that the governor had ordered the BUITMS management not to take any admissions until the committee reached a decision.
The Baloch students have been complaining that due to the 70 percent open merit admission policy, a large number of Baloch students from rural areas fail to obtain admission at BUITMS.
"All we want is that BUITMS should conduct tests in every district to select meritorious students so that every district is represented at this prestigious institute," said Qambar Baloch, the strike organiser. The students said on Monday that they fully trusted the committee and expected "justice" from it.
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