After countrywide protests, Karachi students demand online exams

After protests across the country, students from a private university in Karachi have taken to the streets to protest against in-person examinations.

The students, like others across the country, are saying that if their varsity administration held classes online then it should also conduct the exam in the same format.

Speaking to Geo News, the students, who belong to Bahria University, said that they had asked the university to take on-campus classes; however, it had refused to do so.

"Our exams have already been delayed, and now we demand that the university [expedite the matter] and conduct online exams."

The exams are due to begin in February.

The students vowed to continue their protest till their demands are met.

Speaking on why they think the university is conducting the exams in-person and not online, students claimed that their institute was only doing so in order to charge fees from the students.

Meanwhile, the university said that it was obliged to follow the Islamabad campus and that they could not make a decision unilaterally.

Amid the protest, talks took place between the students and the varsity administration, after which the protesters got split into two groups. One group left, while the other continued the protest saying that it did not "trust the management".

Due to the protest, the road going from Millennium Mall to Dalmia was blocked to all kinds of traffic.

In response to the situation, police, who already began arriving at the scene, called for additional deployment of forces.

Later in the evening, the remaining protesters also dispersed owing to police clearing a path for the Pakistan and South African cricket players to pass through as they emerge from the National Stadium following the third day's close in the first Test match between the two sides.