KARACHI:
Student councils and unions are reemerging on the pretext of democracy and student rights. However, their current trajectory seems far from the direction towards a better, progressive Pakistan. This week, a prominent university in Sukkur held student elections, sparking debate over whether Gen Zia’s decision to abolish student politics was justified.
Rather than campaigning based on merit and competence, candidates resorted to buying votes —offering positions in student societies, lavish dinners, and unfair support in future elections. It mirrors the very tactics long used by Pakistan’s leading political parties, which hand out government jobs, host the cliché ‘biryani’ feasts, and distribute money to secure votes. If such practices are rampant among the literate youth in educational institutions, one must hardly expect any better leadership for Pakistan in the coming decades.
It raises the question: are these students simply gaining inspiration from the current political figures, or is this a harsh reality of what we, individuals, have always been and continue to be as a society? Either way, we find ourselves trapped in a vicious cycle that remains unbroken, as evident from the current state of student politics.
One cannot help but wonder — was Zia right, after all, to put a stop to student politics? The undergraduate students, normally aged 18 to 22, seem unfit for politics at this age apparently, and if allowed amidst the above-mentioned dirty phenomenon, this practice wires their fledgling brains in a way that may haunt the future Pakistan.
Saifullah Napar
Sukkur
