All student unions should be accountable to the administration
ISLAMABAD: The ban on student unions in Pakistan is over three decades old — a remnant of the Ziaul Haq regime. However, even though Zia’s military dictatorship is now a part of history, successive democratic governments have been unable, or unwilling, to lift the ban. Student unions in Pakistan have been the flag-bearers of progressive trends. But the politicos, as well as dictators, hijacked those trends for their narrow, personal objectives.
Student unions are the nurseries of leadership. They hold debates between students from opposing parties, which helps to create tolerance for differing viewpoints and helps students learn the ‘agree to disagree’ approach. Regular, annual elections are held that teach students how to campaign and build a support base. However, without student unions, students have become frustrated. Many are not culturally, socially or politically aware. The power of the students has been broken.
In the past, when the students stood up, nothing was able to hold them back. It is doubtful that Pakistan would have been formed without the passionate young scholars of Aligarh Muslim University. The government should lift the ban on student unions and set up a system to monitor them. All student unions should be accountable to the administration.
Aqeeluz Zaman
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2016.
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