Sitting at the crossroads of society, culture and pure economics, institutions of higher learning have been actively planting ideological flags for as long as one may remember. So when former prime minister Imran Khan’s speech at a prestigious seat of learning, Government College University, on Monday managed to stir a frenzy, it had nothing to do with the universities becoming protected launching pads for leaders of tomorrow. As very appropriately remarked by the Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Asghan Zaidi, who had no clue of what hit him, “The varsities have the right to be engaged in the political debate of the time.” In fact, the ban slapped on student unions by the military rule of General Zia-ul-Haq has always been bemoaned as the primary reason for the “political drought” in the last few decades. That the administration did not air its reservations against the hard-hitting harangue against rival parties, however, failed to drop off the radar. As a national leader with a key following, Mr Khan cannot be expected to mince his words or curtail his own agenda, especially before an audience he loves indulging with: the youth. But by neither giving a memo beforehand nor showing any visible apprehension, Mr Zaidi was very likely swaying side to side; perfectly aligned with the banter. While an aggressive reaction from the PML(N) could be counted upon, a large number of former students have also hopped aboard the condemnation bandwagon. They took to social media to register their protest, where viral trends against the alleged “desecration” for “hate-mongering” have quickly gathered steam. Quite interestingly, it was only in 2019 that the university had made headlines for locking gates and threatening expulsions to deter students from joining a solidarity march. The same people who do not bat an eyelid before firing staff over something as insignificant as a Facebook post in their bid to bolt the doors shut on political fires, very publicly chose sides before a thumping Oval ground. A multiplicity of irony, indeed! What the board decides to do with the said administrator is an internal matter but to let impressionable minds be sandwiched between an unfiltered power struggle and the ensuing divisions of hatred is a gross injustice to their potential. They need to be groomed first in vibrant nurseries of democracy on the basis of which they can better prepare themselves for leadership roles. Somewhere, deep within the underbelly of this deafening bedlam, lies the previous government’s resolve to commemorate 2022 as the year of the youth. *