SIALKOT - The students and teachers have strongly protested against government for giving autonomous status to Govt Murray College Sialkot (the alma mater of Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmad Faiz). They have strongly criticised the govt for giving this college back to the missionary control. They urged the government to withdraw this decision in the larger interest of the students and teachers. Meanwhile, Anjuman Talaba Islam (ATI) and teachers have announced to launch an agitational move against the autonomy given to Murray College. Talking to the newsmen here on Sunday, the district nazim ATI Sialkot Muhammad Luqman Butt termed it an anti-education policy and said due to this autonomy, the educational career of the thousands of the students would become bleak. He said that this autonomy would definitely increase the cost of education there. Later, hundreds of ATI activists and teachers staged a peaceful agitational demonstration outside the college. Later, they staged a sit-in in front of Sialkot Press Club. They were holding agitational banners and placards, chanted anti-govt slogans, demanding immediate withdrawal of this autonomy. On the other hand, social and literary circles of Sialkot have urged the govt to announce the early start of PhD research classes on Iqbaliyat for the local, national and foreign research scholars at 121-year old college. Chairman Iqbal Thinkers Forum Sialkot Prof Ejaz Butt told the newsmen that the early establishment of Aiwan-e-Iqbal at Sialkot and early start of the PhD classes at Murray College would be helpful in promoting the theories of Allama Iqbal. Besides, there has always been shortage of teaching staff in the college and building needs repair, he said and requested to the govt that these problems should be solved.