The rise and fall of Student Unions in Pakistan post 1947 is a classic case of state obliteration, and a lack of political acumen on the part of political leadership. The indifference, with which this case has been dealt with by the successive military and civilian governments-federal as well as provincial-reeks of gross malafide on the part of otherwise so-called populist political leaders. The denial of the right of self-representation to the students across the country has seriously compromised their socio-political and academic wellbeing, and left an irreparable vacuum in their campus life.
It’s a historic fact that the students of the then undivided subcontinent had played a very pivotal role in the Freedom Movement against the British Raj. And, specifically, the students of All India Muslin League were also equally instrumental in the ‘Pakistan Movement’ which was a very prominent political struggle for safeguarding the rights of the millions of Muslims living under the figurative ‘Hindu Raj’ that was autocratically administered by the Indian National Congress. The crucial role played by the students of Aligarh University in the ‘Freedom Movement’ stands testament to the efficacy of student politics, and proves how productive Student Unions could be in building our national life! Let’s try to delineate the rise and fall of Student Unions in Pakistan, and build a logical case for their revival.
Historically speaking, student unions were first banned in 1929 (in United India) and restored in 1959. At the time of Pakistan’s appearance on the map of this world in 1947, the only well-established student organization was the ‘Muslim Students Federation’ (MSF), the student arm of the ruling Muslim League. It was created to recruit the young Muslim students in undivided India to help achieve its goal of acquiring a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. Post-independence, three years later, in 1950, the ‘Democratic Students Federation’ (DSF) was founded at Dow Medical College Karachi. Its only agenda was to address the educational and academic issues of students like tuition fees, library facilities, better classrooms, and etcetera. By 1952 it had evolved into a dedicated left-wing student organization that had also started to exhibit support for various progressive causes through demonstrations, rallies, and protests. By 1953 it had demanded in its ‘Charter of Demands’ for the construction of a proper university in Karachi, which was soon materialized only because of its efforts.
Similarly, the pro-China factions of NSF were instrumental in garnering students’ support for Ayub Khan’s candidacy in the controversial 1965 presidential elections. Likewise, the student unions like NSF, MSF, and Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) had taken out protests against the ‘Tashkent Declaration’, in the aftermath of the country’s 1965 war with India, which, apparently, antagonized the then regime. In the meantime, the provincial government of Punjab had imposed a ban on the formation of student unions, which had negatively affected the culture of campus politics in the province. The role of IJT, Muslim Students Federation (MSF), Democratic Students Federation (DSF), National Students Federation (NSF) and other student unions has been prominent in the democratic history of the country.
The 1970’s is termed as the most democratic period in the history of student politics as the government promoted and patronized student unions and passed the ‘1974 Student Union Ordinance’. The ordinance appreciated and encouraged political activities on campuses. It is the same period when the IJT finally rose as a powerful electoral force.
It’s almost twenty five years now that student unions were banned through a Supreme Court verdict in 1993. Although Article 17 (a) of the Constitution gives the right to every citizen to “form associations or unions, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan, public order or morality”, it is necessary that these unions are closely watched over.
Tarique Ahmed Abro
Hyderabad
