BAHAWALPUR, Jan 14: Third-year students of MBBS at the Quaid-i-Azam Medical College (QMC) held a demonstration here on Wednesday against the University of Health Sciences (UHS) for declaring a large number of candidates unsuccessful in pharmacology paper.

They also demanded award of extra marks to the candidates to clear the paper in the second professional examination.

Talking to Dawn, the demonstrators said the pharmacology paper was very tough and multiple choice questions (MCQs) were drawn from syllabi above their academic standard.

They also demanded that the QMC be affiliated with the Islamia University of Bahawalpur and disaffiliated from the UHS.

When the principal and faculty assured them that their demands would be conveyed to the UHS vice-chancellor, the demonstrators called off their protest with a warning that they would take to the street again if their demands were not accepted within a couple of days.

QMC Principal Prof Dr Mazharul Attique told Dawn that the UHS results of the second professional were “unsatisfactory” as 103 of 270 QMC students were declared failed.

He said he had a telephonic talk with UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Husain Mubashir and had conveyed him the students’ demands.

According to the principal, the UHS vice-chancellor informed him that he had formed a committee consisting of four professors to examine the whole issue and submit their recommendations to solve the matter in accordance with the demands of the protesting students of different medical colleges in the province.

LPG: The black-marketing of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the city and its suburbs is going on.

According to rickshaw owners and drivers, the dealers and retailers are selling LPG at more than Rs90 per kilo instead of government prescribed rate of Rs65.They told Dawn they had also informed the district administration to take action against the profiteers, but to no avail.

The rickshaw drivers were overcharging the general public, compelling them to travel on motorcycle-rickshaws, which were available only on selected roads within the city precincts.

Talking to Dawn, Commissioner Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmad said he would direct DCO Haroon Rafique to take appropriate action.