ISLAMABAD: Over 70 students of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) were on Monday picked by the police after they continued their protest and disrupted academic activities at the university, the capital police said.

Since Oct 4, students associated with all the six councils had been on a strike not allowing the university management to open the institution unless the acceptance of their demands. Following the acceptance of almost all their major demands, including the withdrawal of 10pc increase in fees, five of the six student councils on Friday night had announced their decision to call off the strike.

However, on Monday morning, the Baloch Student Council said it would continue the strike until all the students expelled for their involvement in a clash on the campus in May this year were restored.

Groups of protesters swarmed into classrooms asking the students to leave. The students then gathered in open areas and started their protest once again.

On the request of the vice chancellor, officers of the capital administration and the police reached the campus along with a heavy contingent of the police.

Five of six student councils decide to end protest; Baloch Students Council continues strike, disrupts classes

Clashes with the police started when the protesters tried to stop the university buses from leaving the campus to bring students and faculty members. However, the police forcefully ensured the departure of the buses. By the time the buses returned, the protesters had gained support of other students and disrupted academic activities in some departments.

When the police tried to stop them, the protesters clashed with the personnel. The police rounded up the students and shifted them to different police stations. A number of students claimed that their fellows were beaten up by the police before being taken away.

“We condemn the police beating of unarmed students though we are not supporting the Baloch Council’s decision to stop academic activities when 13 out of their 14 demands had been met. But there is no justification for beating the students,” said Sheraz Kakar, a leader of the Pakhtun Student Federation.

Another student, Maria Khan, said students should not be treated as criminals.

“Our investigation agencies are not arresting several bigwigs involved in mega corruption cases in the country but our university administration, which itself is facing charges of irregularities, expelled many students. This is injustice,” she said.

Sources at the university said Punjab, Mehran, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakhtun and Seraiki student councils were supporting the university administration for restoring educational activities.

QAU Vice Chancellor Dr Javed Ashraf said: “University reopened for classes today for the first time since October 4. Classes were conducted peacefully for the most part. Some unruly individuals (most of whom are believed to be outsiders and not QAU students) attempted to disrupt classes. They also attempted to prevent buses from leaving the campus early in the morning. In both cases, the intervention of police thwarted their designs.”

A senior police officer, when contacted, told Dawn that the students had been detained in different police stations but they were neither arrested nor booked in any case so far.

“Another round of talks between the students and the university administration is in progress and being facilitated by the capital administration and the police,” he stated. The students were asked to call off their protest and put their demands on the table for resolution by the university administration through talks, the officer said.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2017