Against the backdrop of the Solidarity March, Pakistan's government has come out in support of students. Pakistan's Science and Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said in a tweet: “I fully support restoration of students unions, ban on students unions is anti-democratic, we can always ensure that students’ politics must remain violence free and regulations may be introduced for smooth functioning but ban on students politics amounts to limit future politics".
Students have been raising a host of issues including the involvement of the army in politics and repealing a ban on campus politics. From being able to question the authorities for better facilities in campuses to inculcating decision-making skills among future leaders, these are just a few reasons stated regarding the importance of unions by students.
I am marching because i am really tired seeing Army's involvement in politics. This must stop now. #StudentSolidarityMarch #StudentsSolidarityMarch https://t.co/2nAy9OPi61
— Farooq Ahmed (@farooq_ahmed_99) November 29, 2019
Student unions r a must. Make Governors sit with student delegations & do the needful legislation, empowered student r incubator of future leadership, they must not only have representation in ombudsman but control in administration & a say in curriculum. #StudentsSolidarityMarch https://t.co/S1kd3BQESM
— Yaserrrrrr.. (@SeditiousHeart) November 29, 2019
We must support #StudentsSolidarityMarch today for free school education and for the restoration of students unions but there must be no violence by student organisations affiliated with political and religious parties who were also involved in misbehaving and beating teachers pic.twitter.com/dYWzqMhLic
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) November 29, 2019
Join #StudentsSolidarityMarch today - Demilitarise Campuses; Restore Student Unions... pic.twitter.com/iDKN2RpIkC
— Bushra Gohar (@BushraGohar) November 29, 2019
Student unions and campus politics were outlawed in Pakistan in 1984 by former president General Zia-ul-Haq, and now, 35 years later, they are protesting against the ban.
Friday’s Solidarity March has been described as a first steps towards a larger agitation by activists. Ever since the beginning of talks about a Solidarity March, universities stopped stopped handing out degrees for the organisers and the government even issued letters to the universities about the ban on campus politics.
