ISLAMABAD: The Pharmacy Council of Pakistan (PCP) has imposed a fine of over Rs800 million on the pharmacy departments of Hamdard University for over-enrollment of students.

On Monday, a large number of students reached outside the university campus in Islamabad and held a protest as they are not being recognised by the PCP as students.

On the other hand, the university has postponed/cancelled the admission process for Fall Semester 2022 till further orders.

According to documents available with Dawn, PCP has imposed a fine of Rs800 million on the pharmacy departments of the university in Islamabad and Karachi. The university was involved in over-enrollment of students for last many years.

Shah Alam, a student of Batch 2013-2018, while talking to Dawn said the pharmacy departments of the university were allowed to admit 60 students for each batch but the university admitted up to 120 students in each batch.

`However, PCP refused to enroll over 60 students in Pharm-D and over the years the students have been suffering. We were getting assurances by the university that our issue will be addressed but now we have been told by the PCP that we have wasted our five years,` he said.

`In 2019, we also filed a complaint and registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the university/departments. The PCP has imposed a fine of Rs800 million on the university for over-enrollment but we have not gotten any assurance that our issue would be addressed,` he said.

Waqar Ahmed, another student of Batch 2012-2017, said initially there were only 11 students who were over-enrolled but later the university continued the process and started admitting almost double students compared to the quota allocated to it.

`Now there are around 200 students who have been suffering as PCP has refused to recognise them. We appeal to the decision makers to address our issue and save our future,` he said.

Meanwhile, the university has postponed admissions for the Fall Semester 2022 till further orders.

`It is hereby notified that Admission activity planned for the Fall Semester 2022 has been postponed and cancelled till further order. The new dates for Pharm-D admissions on campus will be circulated after essential deliberation,` the university stated in a notification.