No seats for minority Sikh students in Lahore University

Lahore, Aug 29 : Sikh students in Lahore have demanded reservation at the Government College University (GCU) after two of them were denied admission because of a lack of minority seats at the institution.

The students said that they must be granted reservation on the lines of reservation for sportsmen, children of teachers, etc

The two students whose admission applications were rejected are Vijendar Singh and Joginder Singh. Vijendar said his score (723) in matric was good and his chances for admission at the GCU would have been brighter if there had been minority seats at the institution.

But, GCU Registrar Prof. Faisal Khurshid said that the admission applications of the duo were rejected because they had not met the merit requirements of the institution.

He said the university followed government rules and enrolled students strictly on merit, and added that if there had been reserved seats for minorities, and the Sikh students had qualified, the university would have accommodated the Sikh students, reported the Daily Times.

Meanwhile, Guru Nanak Ji Mission president Dr Mimpal Singh said most Sikhs did not have the resources to compete with the majority. He added that he had been asking the government for reserve seats for minorities at educational institutions for many years.

Dr Mimpal added that major minorities in Pakistan had representation in the provincial and national assemblies, but the Sikhs had been ignored in that respect. He urged the government to pay attention to the problems of the Sikh community.

ANI