B A H A W A L P U R : Dozens of girl students who were declared failed in the first-year examination proteste d on Thursday against what they said the flawed marking of answer books by examiners of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE).

The BISE had announced the first-year examination results last week with a pass percentage of over 49.

The protesting girl students, who appeared to be from some private institution, declined to disclose their identity. Led by one of their teachers, the girls reached Baghdad Road and demonstrated in front of the commissioner office.

Carrying placards, the protesting girls chanted slogans against the present education system.

They blocked the traffic by forming a human chain of their hands on the road.

They told the media persons that a large number of `bright and intelligent girl candidates` had been failed while below average students were declared pass with high marks.

They demanded remarking of their answer books without any rechecking fee.

The protesters dis-persed when Director (Colleges) Prof Dr Mahmood along with officials of the district administration reached the spot and held talks with them.

HANGED: A prisoner on death row was hanged to death at the new central jail here on Thursday.

According to jail officials, Muhammad Hasan alias Hassoo of Madressah village, Bahawalnagar district, had murdered Wali Muhammad and his mother Allah Jiwai over a trifle on Jan 24, 2005.

RECOMMENDED: The divisional administration has recommended the construction of a ring road to ease the pressure of vehicular traf fic on the Circular Road.

Development director Syed Wajid Ali Shah said the dual carriageway project, which was estimated to cost Rs1.70 billion, was proposed to be built from Kali Pulli to the Bahawalpur Institute of Nuclear Oncology (BINO).

The director said the work on the conversion of H asilpur-Bahawalpur Road into a dual carriageway was in progress at a cost of Rs5 billion.

The Punjab government had provided funds of Rs700 million for the project during the current year and it was expected to be completed next year.