QAU closed after dozens injured in armed clash between students

Several held, hostels vacated as police, Rangers conduct search operation

ISLAMABAD: The campus of the Quaid-i-Azam University [QAU] turned into a battleground for a second time in a month on Saturday as two student groups clashed in the varsity and openly traded fire leaving at least 30 injured.

Authorities had to call in large contingents of police and Rangers to control the situation while the university administration has decided to vacate the boy’s hostel on campus while suspending academic activities indefinitely.

“Classes at QAU have been suspended until further notice. However, the university will remain open for staff and faculty,” said QAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Javed Ashraf.



While the reason for the clash was not immediately known, Balochi and Sindhi students had turned on each other on Saturday, attacking each other with rods, clubs, fists and even guns, forcing officials to summon the police and Rangers.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Abdus Sattar Isani said that as many as 30 people had been injured in the clash.

Police had to resort to firing tear gas to disperse the students before arresting several students from the campus. However, the exact number of those held was not known since a search operation by police and Rangers was still underway at the campus until Saturday evening when this report was filed.

Contrary to the declaration from the vice chancellor, a police spokesperson said that the university had been shut down for a week and that hostels had been vacated. He said cases had also been lodged against students affiliated with both groups.

Clash between Sindhi, Baloch and Pashtun Students at QAU. Polyclinic & PIMS recieved 36 injured. Our youth being exploited on ethnic grounds pic.twitter.com/62SDNctrZa

— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) May 20, 2017

“It is notified for the information of all boarder students (those staying at hostels) that keeping in view the existing law and order situation in the university all the boy’s hostels of the university are being closed with immediate effect till further order. Resident students are, therefore, directed to vacate the hostel immediately,” a notification issued by the QAU Provost office on Saturday read.

It is pertinent to note that the two groups had also clashed at the campus on April 22, after which police had to be deployed on the campus.

Officials said that trouble had been brewing at the university for the past few days and the two groups had faced off numerous times on Thursday and Friday.



Clashes between dozens of active ethnic and sectarian student groups at the capital’s major public sector universities such as QAU, Federal Urdu University, and the International Islamic University are common.

Earlier in January this year, Secretariat police had booked members of Sindhi and Pashtun student groups for clashing at QAU.

Similarly, MSF and Pakhtun students groups also resorted to violence against each other at the Federal Urdu university on January 24.

Both these clashes had left several students injured.

A police officer said that administrations of these universities were responsible for ensuring law and order within their premises and that police can only intervene when asked to by the university’s administration.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2017.