Daily Times

Thousands of students and civil society activists held demonstrations in at least four dozen cities of the country on Friday in protest against ban on student unions and budget cuts in higher education.

Students, activists and supporters across Pakistan came out to join the Student Solidarity March, led by the Student Action Committee (SAC), to present a charter of demands including the restoration of the student unions.

The march kicked off early evening in Karachi, with students, parents, lawyers as well as prominent civil society members, gathering at Regal Chowk and then marching on to Atrium Mall with the aim of reaching Karachi Press Club. As the demonstration started marching on Fatima Jinnah Road opposite Atrium Mall, shopkeepers started bringing down their shutters. Echoes of “Hum kya chaahte? Aazaadi!” (What do we want? Freedom!) resounded in the area.

A transgender student of medicine said she has come to protest the lack of safety for females and transgenders on campus. “Females and transgender students are increasingly becoming unsafe on campuses. Throughout Pakistan, there are many professors who ask for irrelevant favours from them. The fees are so high. What are they trying to do? Do they think they will provoke us this way? Should girls get into illegal, unethical activities to obtain an education?” she said, demanding answers from the government.Students from Balochistan also participated in the march in Karachi demanding the arrest of the vice-chancellor of Balochistan University for his alleged involvement in the harassment of the varsity’s students.

Students from Gilgit-Baltistan took part to protest the lack of facilities to pursue higher education in the region. “There is only one university in GB and it is substandard. We can’t study there, so we moved to Karachi,” said one participant. In Lahore, the protesters gathered early afternoon at Nasser Bagh and marched towards Punjab Assembly. The student participants had 13 demands from the government.

In an interesting development, the administration of the Government College University (GCU) locked the main gates of the campus in a bid to stop its students from participating in the demonstration when it started congregating at Nasir Bagh.

In Islamabad, the protesters gathered at D-Chowk, demanding that parliament restore student unions immediately.

In Quetta, a protest rally against the ban on student unions in Balochistan University as well as other universities was taken out. Participants included members of various student organisations who gathered at Baldia Lawn and marched across various thoroughfares and back to the point of origin.

In Peshawar, students and civil society members held a protest rally from Peshawar Press Club to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Scenes from the march in Peshawar showed a vibrant gathering sloganeering to the beat of a drum. “Students live for the sake of truth,” they chanted.

Awami National Party KP President Aimal Wali Khan, took to Twitter to announce the party’s support for the march. “ANP supports #StudentsSolidarityMarch. Students must have the right to assemble and speak for their rights. I urge all members of Pakhtun Students Federation to actively take part in the march,” he said. The protest dispersed peacefully after a few hours.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto also lent his support to marchers across the nation. In a tweet, he said, “The PPP has always supported student unions. The restoration of student unions by SMBB was purposely undone to depoliticise society. Today students are marching in the #StudentSolidarityMarch for the restoration of unions, implementation of right to education, end to privatisation of public universities, implementation of sexual harassment legislation, right to student housing & the demilitarisation of campuses. The spirit of activism and yearning for a peaceful democratic process from a new generation of students is truly inspiring.” In a tweet, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry said, “I fully support the restoration of students unions, ban on students unions is anti-democratic, we can always ensure that students politics must remain violence-free and regulations may be introduced for smooth functioning but a ban on students politics amounts to limit future politics.” The Students’ Solidarity March insisted that the government must ensure the following: Lift the ban and hold elections for student unions; abandon privatisation of educational institutes, and reverse a recent decision of school and college fee hike; state should pledge free education for all; no more budget cuts for the Higher Education Commission, or sacking of educational staff; at least five per cent of the GDP should be allocated for education; abolish the semester system; lift a ban on students from participating in political activities; end the intervention (in the name of national security) of security forces in educational institutions, and release all students held captive; establish committees to investigate incidents of sexual harassment, and ensure women are made a part of the set up; all universities should have a library, hostel and provide transport and an internet connection; modernise education systems according to the modern scientific requirements; set up schools and colleges in lesser developed areas, and increase the quota of students coming from outside main cities; establish research centres for a transition from fossil fuel energy to renewable energy in public sector universities; and announce April 13 as a national holiday to honour slain Mashal Khan.