LAHORE: Some 500 students, who have been studying at the Bahauddin Zakariya University`s Lahore campus, returned to Canal Road for a third time in the last one year to stage a sit-in blocking the road near the Punjab University for the entire day on Tuesday.

The sit-in, which started at around 8am, was going on till the filing of the report at 9pm.Thousands of vehicles had been stuck in the worst traffic jam for over 12 hours, with medical emergencies adding to the crisis as two major hospitals Shaikh Zayed and Jinnah fall on both ends of the sit-in venue.

These students, who had taken admission to the city campus, was subsequently declared illegal by its own syndicate and later by the Higher Education Commission and the Punjab government. Students say they had invested their money and time completing the studies, so it was not their fault if the campus was declared illegal after years.

They demand they be issued degrees.

`Apart from the varsity, or otherwise, of the students` case, the impotence of the city and the Punjab government is legendary,` said Muhammad Ramzan, an irritated vehicle owner, who was stuck in traffic for over two hours to travel two kilometers journey.

`One can only lament their attitude and preference. To make the matter worse, it happened on a day when the entire administration was geared up to keep the city clear and traffic flowing because of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf`s threat toblock the city. If 500 odd students can clog the city, one should pray for the Punjab leadership of the PML-N and the chief minister,` he lamented.

`Either side of the Punjab University has two major government hospitals of the city, and a few private ones more,` says Muhammad Jawad, who had to visit one of them but could not because of the worst jams.

Neither the vice-chancellor of the Punjab University, who was being called by the students for negotiations, showed up nor he called police to get the road cleared.

According to a press release by the city trafhe police, two superintendent of police (SPs), six deputy SPs, 13 inspectors, 21 patrolling officers and 278 wardens were employed to deal with the situation.