KARACHI:
On Monday, an unpleasant incident occurred between two student groups at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU). We often hear of squabbles among students at different universities, but this usually does not happen at QAU because of the Quaidian Students Federation (QSF) which aims to bring all students together and acts as a mediator in case of arguments or fights. For years, QSF has fulfilled its role responsibly and did the same on Monday to restore normalcy on campus.
However, on Tuesday, the Islamabad police entered the university premises late at night and asked students to vacate the hostels immediately. Many students come from far-flung areas of the country to study here and cannot make immediate arrangements for alternative accommodation or return to their homes. Both male and female students were forced to leave. Students who showed any resistance were met with aggression from the police. This irresponsible act put many students in grave difficulty and danger.
Instead of resolving the issue with QSF cabinet members, the university administration resorted to force and aggression. Most students had nothing to do with the fight on Monday, yet they were punished unjustly. According to some reports, the university has been closed indefinitely. This is worrisome as students will miss out on their studies and suffer from poor results. QAU administration must act responsibly and resume academic activities to avoid hampering students’ studies. Those involved in the fight should be dealt with strictly according to university rules. The university administration should enforce strict rules to deal with toxic and violent behaviour on campus to avoid a similar situation in the future.
Daman Ali
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2023.
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