With no end in sight: QAU quagmire persists for third week

University expected to remain closed today; officials say holding emergency syndicate meeting possible

ISLAMABAD: The stalemate, surrounding a protest by some rusticated students of the Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) who have been demanding their restoration and have kept the varsity virtually their hostage for over two weeks, is likely to persist on Monday.

The QAU management announced on Sunday that the varsity will remain closed on Monday as well since negotiations with the protesting students have so far been unfruitful.

As many as eight varsity students were expelled and around 18 others were rusticated while a total of 42 students were penalised for their part in on-campus clashes between two ethnic student groups in May. The violence had left several people injured and led to the university closure for days.

Even though the police had booked the students, they had decided not to take any action, leaving the matter to the university’s disciplinary committee. The committee subsequently decided to expel, rusticate and fine students involved in the clash. The committee’s decision was later endorsed by the varsity’s syndicate.

On October 4, several students launched a strike, blocking the main road leading to the varsity and blocked its transport facility, effectively closing the varsity. They set forward a series of demands including expansion of hostels, busses and restoration of the expelled students.

However, QAU Vice-Chancellor Dr Javed Ashraf maintains that while they have accepted other demands of the students, restoring the status of expelled and rusticated students was beyond his power.

He maintains that since the university’s syndicate had ratified the decision to penalise the students, taken by a disciplinary committee, only the syndicate can undo it.

The university had approached the district administration to help resolve the issue. But the district administration and police are reluctant to use force to remove the protesters, instead suggesting that the crisis should be resolved through negotiations.

Minister for Federal Education Balighur Rehman, who is also the pro-chancellor of the university, too has advised against the use of force against protesters and want the QAU’s management to concede at least some of the protester’s demands.

It now seems the only option left to restore academic activities at the university is to convene an emergency meeting of the university’s syndicate and undo the punishments awarded to protesting students.

While Dr Ashraf maintains that they will take up the issue at the varsity’s syndicate meeting scheduled to be held next month, a top QAU official said that in emergency circumstances, the syndicate committee’s meeting can be convened at a notice of three to four days.

“Negotiations with students are underway, however, it is not possible for us to open the university on Monday,” a QAU administration official said on Sunday while requesting not to be named for fear of retribution.

The official added that an early meeting of the syndicate can be called to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, officials of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) are also scheduled to meet with the university’s management on Monday to deliberate on the issue and try and find a way out of the quagmire.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2017.