Student unions are nurseries for students to learn politics and develop small scale policies, leadership, campaigning for universities/colleges positions, and learn skills of public speaking and hosting as well.
These student unions produced a couple of politicians as well as many other prominent personalities such as PMLN leaders Ahsan Iqbal and Javed Hashmi, founder of MQM Altaf Hussain, Jamaat e Islami leader Liaqat Baloch, and Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed was amongst them.
Even Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa was also “involved in political activities in his student life for IJT” as Sheikh Rasheed said in a talk show. A senior journalist Sarwar Munir Rao was also a president of the student union at Punjab University.
Once founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali Jinnah said in an address to students of the newly born state “Pakistan is proud of its youth, particularly the students who have always been at the forefront in the hour of trial and need. You are the nation’s leader of tomorrow and you must fully equip yourself by discipline, education, and training for the arduous task lying ahead of you.”
Muslim Student Federation or MSF was the first student political group established on 1st September 1937 by the All India Muslim League in Calcutta, India. Islami Jamiat e Talba (IJT), National Students Federation, Peoples Students Federation, Insaf Students Federation, All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organization, Pakhtoon Students Federation, Imamia Students Organization, Democratic Students Federation, The Liberal Students Organization (LSO), Sindh National Students Federation (SNSF), Jeeay Sindh Students Federation (JSSF), Anjuman e Talaba e Islam (ATI), Baloch Students Organization (BSO) and Punjabi Students Association (PSO) are other student organizations.
Students from different student groups and independent as well, they were allowed to contest in student unions elections. The winning student in the election had to form a cabinet and to work for the betterment of students in relevant institutes.
The student unions election was held last time across the country in 1983 at different universities and colleges, which has been 36 years. The student unions were banned in 1984 by then Dictator General Zia Ul Haq, due to the fear of losing elections to anti-government student unions, as they can sweep election according to the reports Zia collected.
In 1988, the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto lifted the ban from student unions. But unfortunately, this act was challenged in the Supreme Court in 1990. Later apex court re-imposed the ban on student unions in 1993.
When Yusuf Raza Gilani of PPP was elected as Prime Minister in 2008, he vowed to restore student unions in his first address to parliament, but his government failed to do so. Later in August 2017, PPP made another attempt in the Senate of Pakistan, they passed a resolution for the restoration of student unions.
On Friday, countrywide student solidarity marches took place demanding one-point agenda of lifting ban over the student unions. Many politicians from the government benches as well as from the opposition announced the support of student solidarity marches and called for the restoration of student unions.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP’s chairman tweeted, “The PPP has always supported Student unions. The restoration of student unions by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was purposely undone to depoliticize society”. Similarly, Fawad Chaudhary Minister for Science and Technology called the ban on student unions un-democratic and he showed support for the restoration of the union in a tweet, on Friday.
News 18 India launched false and fabricated propaganda, they called the march a protest against Imran Khan and his government. They also claimed that these marches were to topple the Imran’s government in a report on their YouTube channel.
It is a dire need to restore the student unions, but the student politics may remain free of violence and there must be some set of rules and regulations. This way the harassment cases at different universities and colleges across the country will decrease and it is the only way to ensure and guarantee student’s rights.
The writer is a student of Media and Communication Studies at International Islamic University, Islamabad.