KARACHI: Retired professors and employees of the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Sciences & Technology (FUUAST) staged a protest at the Karachi Press Club on Friday, demanding President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to issue an order to release their pensions before Eid-ulFitr so they can celebrate the occasion with religious fervour and zeal.

They said that despite the PM`s order to release their dues as soon as possible,the university officials had failed to do so. Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, convener of the committee of the retired professors and employees, condemned the delay in releasing their salaries and pointed out that millions of rupees had been invested in various schemes while the university struggled to pay its retired employees and professors.

Dr Khan alleged that the university administration had created an artificial financial crisis, and the caretaker director of finance was embezzling funds by exploiting this crisis. He highlighted that over 55 professors and employees were facing severe financial difficulties while waiting for their dues to be released.

He also said that five employees had already died due to the worst financial crisis, but the administration remained indifferent to their plight.