Campus politics: Might of the youth

Suppression of campus politics has contributed to a revival in youth’s political consciousness.

LAHORE:

The youth movement in Pakistan has had its share of ups and downs. While student empowerment was a powerful idea during the 1960s and ‘70s, this movement, with all its ideological contradictions, fizzled out during Zia’s era.

However, the turmoil of the past decade has witnessed a rebirth of political consciousness among the youth. Whether it was simply a reaction to the turmoil, or whether the cult of personalities was at play, is a matter of debate.

Not a ‘bad idea’

According to many active within this realm, the ban on campus politics had wide reaching ramifications.

“There was a time, before Zia imposed a ban on students’ unions, when there were elected representatives of students on every campus who met with the administration to discuss their issues,” explains Arfan Chaudhary, Punjab president of the left-wing National Students Federation (NSF).

In 2008, when Yousaf Raza Gilani invited vice-chancellors of various universities to discuss the ban, all of them voted against it.

The state crackdown depoliticised the youth who had previously been active members of their communities. A common complaint against campus politics was violence. Debunking this, Arfan Chaudhary quotes a survey report of the Herald, published in 2002, that showed incidents of violence on campuses had actually increased since the ban on unions in 1984.

According to Faisal Sheikh, Karachi president of the Peoples Students Federation (PSF), the Pakistan Peoples Party’s student wing, the upheavals of the last decade may have revived political consciousness in the youth but that is not enough.

He believes that student politics should be independent from the influence of political parties. He says when student wings are endorsed by political parties, their interference in student affairs is inevitable.

“Campus politics is essential for student unions to flourish. Democracy at campuses is a part of democracy in the country,” he says.

Sheikh asserts that instead of retaining the ban on student unions, the government should have addressed the administrative failures in curbing incidents of violence at campuses.

Accidental beginnings?

Insaf Students Federation (ISF), the youth wing of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf that emerged as a growing force in the May election, has been especially active in recent years. A conversation with ISF Punjab President Waqas Butt reveals several fascinating facts about the state of student politics in the country today.

“It was an accident that resulted in the rebirth of the youth movement,” says Butt. “In 2007, [PTI chief] Imran Khan visited Punjab University and was attacked by an Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) activist, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami. The outrage caused by the incident gave birth to a small-scale political movement in the university.”

According to Butt, Imran Khan had not expected to campaign for the youth when he began his political journey. And yet, the rise of Imran in politics and the ISF went hand-in-hand. Six years later, and the ISF is now a formidable student force.

Butt says one of the tactics they used to popularise the movement was to take Imran for appearances at major universities. When students heard him talk, they were drawn to his political message. “These young men and women from rural areas studying in cities would, in turn, carry Khan’s message to their hometowns,” he explains.

As the movement began to spread to other parts of the country, activists began calling for a centralised student wing, Butt said. ISF was formed during the lawyers’ movement.

Butt admits the federation was largely built around Khan’s personality. When asked what ideology, he said, “We believe in peace and education first. We have had our share of confrontations with the Jamiat, but clashing with them is not our goal.”

‘Guiding’ the young

For Shoaib Ahmed, Karachi information secretary of IJT, there are no shades of grey.

“We have been trying to save youths from delinquency and obscenity by showing them the righteous path. The Jamiat managed to survive the state crackdown on student politics due to its well-organised structure,” he says.

“We are a large student organisation, so a few unpleasant events do occur. We take disciplinary action against members who break the rules,” Ahmed challenges. “IJT has been cleared by the courts in most cases, since they turn out to be politically motivated.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2013.