Though voices are being raised for restoring student unions in our universities, I have witnessed something at the University of Karachi which suggests that it may not be such a good idea to have the student unions back after all these years.
A recent clash between two student groups is a case in point. Such clashes have been a part of the university’s history. Rangers deployed at the campus used to handle rival student groups and pre-emptive measure were always in place to avoid on-campus clashes.
However, recently there have been an increase in clashes involving student groups that clearly have affiliations with one political party or the other. One such clash took place between two groups on Oct 11 and severely affected those who had no links to such groups or violent activities of any type. They were badly injured when some people, having their faces covered, entered the university and attacked the students with iron rods and chains, causing severe injuries.
As a girl student, it is a serious matter that raises concerns over the university’s security mechanism. Following the suicide blast at the Confucius Institute, the administration of the university had increased security, but the recent incident suggests a lax security, especially for the girl students.
The university administration needs to ensure the safety of students and a peaceful environment conducive to academic learning.
SARAH AYAZ
KARACHI
