Sir: The ban on student unions in Pakistan is over three decades old — a remnant of the Ziaul Haq regime. However, even though Zia’s military dictatorship is now a part of history, successive democratic governments have been unable, or unwilling, to lift the ban. Student unions in Pakistan have been the flag-bearers of progressive trends. But the politicos, as well as dictators, hijacked those trends for their narrow incumbency objectives. Student unions are the nurseries of leadership. They hold debates between students from opposing parties. This helps create tolerance for differing viewpoints and helps students learn the ‘agree to disagree’ approach. Regular, annual elections are held that teach students how to campaign and build a support base. Students have become ironic and frustrated. Many are not culturally, socially or politically aware. The power of the students has been broken. In the past, when the students stood up, nothing was able to hold them back. It is doubtful that Pakistan would have been formed without the passionate young scholars of Aligarh College. It’s the need of time that government must lift the ban from student unions and setup a system to monitor them. All the student unions should be accountable to the administration. AQEEL UZ ZAMAN Islamabad