One of the premium institutions of higher learning in Punjab is being held hostage by an Islamist student organisation and there does not seem to be anything anyone can do about it. The Punjab University (PU) has been hijacked by the sinister agenda of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), the militant student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), that has been making life hell for the students, administration and teaching faculty for decades. Everything from what they wear to which subjects are taught is scrutinised by these hooligans who go to many violent lengths to fulfil their deranged plans. The latest news to emerge from the campus grounds is that IJT goons have besieged the residences of those in charge of the hostels. This is because the administration has started taking some stringent measures to crack down on the shenanigans taking place in the hostels of the university. The hostels are the hub of all IJT activity. The IJT has had control of the hostels for a very long time and now the university administration is finally trying to wrest it back where it belongs. On Thursday night, university authorities locked six hostel rooms when they found out that some IJT members were holed up inside illegally. IJT ruffians broke three of the locks, completely defying university faculty. They then went on to attack the homes of the hostels incharge and the chairman of the Hall Council.
There is no dearth of such tales in the PU. The hostel issue is particularly contentious because of the fact that right under the noses of the university authorities and government itself, all manner of hooligans and even militants are given sanctuary in these rooms by the IJT. This is not just illegal, it is dangerous. The PU is an educational institution and to have even the slightest possibility of those affiliated to terrorism and illegal activities residing within the campus is dangerous for other students. This kind of behaviour by the IJT has been going on since the 1960s but their daring and defiance have reached new heights. In today’s particularly volatile law and order situation, for a university to have such a destructive force within its boundaries is worrisome indeed. The JI will never stop supporting them because this kind of muscle is just what they want. The government must take action against these thugs who, if not stopped, will swallow the university whole. Just sitting back and watching this happen will only make this situation worse. *