ATTOCK, Feb 26: The future of MSc students is in doldrums due to mismanagement of Government Postgraduate College (GPC), Attock, and Punjab University administrations.

As many as 30 MSc students, belonging to four disciplines, Physics, Botany, Mathematics and Political Science, called on MNA Malik Amin Aslam here on Thursday and apprised him of the situation.

They said after the starting of MSc classes at the GPC in November last year, about 45 students, including 25 girls, got admissions. However, recently they were informed by the college administration that they could not appear in the annual examinations to be held in March, 2005 since their classes had still not been affiliated with the Punjab University and the last date for submitting admission forms to the university was March 28.

On this, the MNA visited the office of GPC principal Azizur Rehman to discuss the situation. He was told by the principal that MSc classes were started following the orders of Punjab secretary education.

He said a laboratory was under-construction and would be completed in March next year, while the approval of affiliation was pending with the controller of affiliation department, Punjab University. Therefore, he said, they were currently facing problems in conducting the MSc examination.

The principal maintained that the students had been informed about the whole situation at the time of their admission. They were told that their admissions could only be made provisionally.

The Punjab University affiliation department controller, Ihsan Malik, when contacted by the MNA through telephone, said they could not grant affiliation to the MSc classes of GPC due to unavailability of laboratory and other facilities.

However, he assured the MNA that he would try his best to resolve the issue in due course of time with the collaboration of the college administration. The MNA asked the college principle to take up the matter with the university authorities within two days to save the academic year of the students.

He also assured the affected students that he would approach the Punjab governor and the chief minister if the authorities concerned failed to settle the issue in time.

BY-ELECTIONS: By-elections for the 36 vacant seats, including 28 women seats, of various union councils of the district will be held on March 28, assistant election commissioner (AEC) Attock said here on Thursday.

He said nomination papers would be submitted on March 1 and 2, and the scrutiny of the papers would be carried out on March 8 and 9. Objections will be filed on 12th.

The AEC said four returning officers had been appointed in four Teshils of the district to conduct the election process in the respective union councils under the supervision of district returning officer.