A recent attempt to stop the way of student unions in Pakistan

Governor NWFP Pakistan, Owais Ghani has written to Prime Minister Pakistan Gillani a letter emphasizing that student unions shall not be started again in educational institutes(http://www.jang-group.com/jang/jul2009-daily/25-07-2009/main4.htm), if I remember it correctly, it was one of the first and most welcomed announcements of Gillani when he took oath as Prime Minister Pakistan.I am not sure what are the credentials of Mr. Ghanni (besides he is Governor, well lets not talk about it :)) and how much developed is his historical awareness and political background.

History tells us that students have played a central role in most of the political movements around the globe, not only this, but the leaders have been produced from the student unions themselves, who knows it better than Gillani himself. I wonder how easily anyone can defy the very basic human rights in Pakistan on any pretext. Lets not forget that the unions were banned by Zia because he was very well aware of their power and potential threat to his government. When students become unite and come forward along with other political forces of country, there are a force which can not be easily defeated, youth is the power of any nation, and with proper guidance they can be the front force of any movement, they have those qualities of believe, motivation, consistency, willingness and courage which can change the outlook of any movement all together; being educated they are more disciplined and can easily be managed. In Pakistan students were the front force in all political uprisings for example against Ayub Khan, in East-Pakistan against Army, against Bhutto and then in movement against Zia as well. And they were organized because of the tradition of student unions, in which they had to participate democratically and unions were providing them a platform to learn organizational and political skills. Moreover, in Unions only those were able to retain themselves who were getting elected, in other words their leaders and the parties have to be aligned with the students of the institute they belonged to. They have to work and show progress to get elected again or be in the mainstream, they were answerable to the common student. And it was by no mean necessary that a union or its representatives or elected organization would belong to a political party.

Everything however was changed in Zia era, and as elections or union were banned, every Tom, Dick and Harry was able to form a party and do whatever they want, they were not answerable to any one inside the institutes, because they were self acclaimed and they were looking outside for the support, hence the role of political parties inside student politics was increased, and corruption set deep inside student politics. And this unguided, uncontrollable, undemocratic and unjustified tradition is primarily responsible for every evil Mr. Ghanni tried to link with the student unions.

I remember in my university, there was a student party whose members can be counted on finger tips, but they set on equal footings with other much larger student parties, because they belonged to a mainstream party of the country, they had all resources, links and connections to make their presence felt. They had connections in the university administration, and they had influence over teachers as well. I am sure this would not have been the situation if union will be there, a party of 12 people was not able to win any election and they would have been vanished if there would have been a democratic process and union system in place.

I also have seen the student organizations and educational institutes in very city of Mr. Ghanni Peshawar along with other cities, and I know how system works there, I can say very confidently that the cause of trouble is presence of Law enforcement agencies in the educational institutes, direct involvement of mainstream mother political parties, no involvement of the students at large in creation of the student parties and no answerability of the student parties’ leadership in their own ranks.

As far as the will of parents to send their children to educational institutes of repute and all other rhetoric of Mr. Ghanni is concerned, may I ask if institutes like Islamia College, Peshawar University, Punjab University, Dow medical college, Karachi University and many others had bad reputation in 50s or 60s? I think all parents of today if they are graduate or more, must have had belong to one or other of these institutes, and they must not be ashamed of the fact that there were student unions in their own days, and that they too belonged to them. I am also sure they all know that there was no law and order situation in education institutes like it was during and after Zia.

Besides student unions by definition and laws are not actually required to be a political platform, they are independent bodies elected by eligible student of an institute. The fact that they take political outlook comes from their elective bodies. But if they are elected, it means the students who elect them have no objection on their representatives belonging to a political idea or party. If they have no objection, why Mr. Ghanni has? Whose interest is he trying to save, his masters and companions, the undemocratic forces in Pakistan or the students and parents? Besides as I said there is no reason for a union to be a political outfit.