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Punjab University becoming hub of political activity
LAHORE, July 10: The Punjab University (PU),
these days, has become a centre of political activity despite a ban on political
activity in educational institutions.
Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) workers
and some faculty members have on several occasions offered the PU as a platform
to politicians for their election campaigns by inviting them to university
functions.
Interestingly, PU is the only public university in the city
that indulges into such activity despite an official ban on political activity
on campuses levied by President Pervez Musharraf. Other quarters believe that
the government should lift the ban on political activity and allow student
unions to operate freely.
PU sources said that several
politicians attended PU functions and delivered speeches on their political
agendas in the last few weeks. They said the politicians were observed trying to
create anti-government sentiments among the students.
In a recent
function arranged by the IJT in memory of students allegedly killed by the
Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) in 1994, Muttahida Majlise-e-Amal (MMA)
leader Hafiz Salman Butt was invited as chief guest.
A few weeks ago, the
IJT invited Tehrik-e-Insaf leader Imran Khan, MMA leaders Liaqat Baloch, Hafiz
Salman Butt and MNA Fareed Paracha as guests of honour for a cricket tournament.
The move to invite Liaqat Baloch is also significant, as PU falls in his
constituency.
Also, the PU Academic Staff Association and IJT jointly
welcomed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
PU IJT
nazim Muhammad Ayub said that they were working for the rights of
students and such programmes were curricular activities. He said the involvement
of political personalities was important to make students aware of what was
happening in Pakistan's political arena.
He said every student had the
right to vote and that the IJT was trying to educate students about the
importance of their vote. He also said the purpose to invite politicians was to
improve Pakistan.
PUASA president Prof Dr Mumtaz Ahmed Salik said the
university was open for dialogue where anyone from any field of life could
participate and express his or her point of view. He said the university should
be free of any kind of hurdles so that politicians, philosophers and scholars
could deliver lectures to students. He said speeches of politicians to PU
students were not unique.
A faculty member of PU said that
political leaders were trying to use students for their election campaigns. He
said that last month the MMA funded a night cricket tournament at the PU campus.
He also said PU was the focus of politicians earlier also and that Pakistan
People's Party (PPP) leader Zulfikar Bhutto started under the banner of the
National Students Federation (NSF) and this student wing of the university
spread the voice of the PPP across Pakistan. He said this student wing played an
important role to get Bhutto to the office of prime minister and now the IJT was
playing a similar role, as it was the MMA's student wing.
Hall Council
acting chairman Sami Uzair said that according to PU policy all political
activities would be banned and that students involved in such programmes were
either expelled or under trial in the university. He said it was difficult for
authorities to stop such activity by force because the government did not want
disturb PU's peace.
Another official said the university often tried to
stop the IJT by force and that it had asked the help of the police in such
operations, but the IJT could still not be stopped. He said that although
university had its own security, it was not trained to take action against them.
He said the government should take action in this regard. Daily times
Your Comments
"Update ur knowledge plz!Jamiat is not a student wing of MMA. its an independent student org.uve mentioned urself that they invited Imran Khan,so how u can say they r compaining for Balochs seat.Salman Butt,Liaqat Baloch n Fareed Paracha all r x-PU students n elected union presidents.so inviting old boys is normal.is Cricket tournament a political activity?"
Name: Numair Hasan
Email: nhmadni@hotmail.com
City, Country: Islamabad, Pakistan
"UPDATE UR KNOWLEDGE! The IJT is not a students union as u seen after the story of imran khan thousands of students were agnist of IJT and these students come from thier deptt: for protest on the other hand few ijt members were come for IJT favour. the member of IJT zahid jameel and m.abid of geology says that they join IJT only for protect himself from IJT actions of their wrong works. they shows that IJT protects only its members and give them free hand. "GO JAMIAT GO".
Name: geologist
Email: ammar_800@YAHOO.COM
City, Country: LAHORE, Pakistan
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| Education News | | Updated: 25 May, 2012 |
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