PESHAWAR: People’s Students Federation has urged the government to restore student unions and enable the students to hold elections democratically to play their role effectively for the development of the country in future.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, PSF provincial president Samiullah Khan said that PPP leaders had raised the issue at national level and other parties should also support the move.

Flanked by PSF general secretary Rashid Khan Afridi and coordination secretary Adil Munawar, he said that PPP leader and Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani had raised the issue of student unions in Senate. He said that PPP was determined to hold elections in Sindh and Kashmir.

Mr Khan said that federal and other provincial governments should also support PPP in that regard. He said that taking part politics was everyone’s democratic right and it should not be snatched from the people. He said that PPP had expressed concern over ban on student unions in educational institutions because it was ‘unconstitutional’ and referred the matter to a committee of the upper house to submit recommendations.

The PSF leader said that many senators also expressed anguish over the prolonged ban on student unions. The student unions, he said, had been banned in the county by a dictatorial regime led by Ziaul Haq in 1983. Student unions played the role of a nursery of democracy and the ban was tantamount to ban freedom of expression, he added.

Mr Khan said that student unions would play significant role in resolution of problems in various educational institutions across the country. He said that students were deliberately kept voiceless for over three decades.

The PSF leader said that Gen Ziaul Haq banned the unions when he felt that students were forming alliance against his dictatorial rule. The students’ movement had played a key role in restoration of democracy and forced another dictator Ayub Khan to bow out, he added.

Mr Khan said that Sindh and Azad Kashmir governments had decided to restore student unions. “We will continue our struggle for revival of student unions across the country,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2016