ISLAMABAD: The International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) has decided to ban all student unions and groups formed on the basis of religious or sectarian lines, ethnicity and regional grounds.

However, its implementation process is faced with stiff resistance from political parties.

The university board has also decided that the IIUI should follow in the steps of Nust, FAST and University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore to depoliticise the campus and hostels.

The decision has been taken on the basis of a report, available with Dawn, which was prepared by a committee established to probe causes of a clash between two groups of students on Dec 12, 2019, that resulted in the death of a student.

Move comes on basis of report prepared by committee to probe clash between two groups of students on Dec 12, 2019

The university board has decided that anyone found facilitating, organising or assisting student protests on the campus will have no right to stay on the roll of the university.

Sources in the university said there were severe pressure on the management of the university from several political as well as religo-political parties not to implement the decision.

Meanwhile, Prof Dr Masoom Yasinzai, the rector of the IIUI, in a message said: “We will not allow student politics in the university. I will not let it continue even if it costs my seat.”

The report has been formulated by the committee headed by Prof Dr Mohammad Ziaul Haq, Director General Islamic Research Institute (IRI), after a clash between students belonging to Islami Jamiat Tulba (IJT) and Saraiki Students Council.

Syed Tufailur Rehman, a student, lost his life after being hit on the head by a piece of concrete thrown from the roof of a hostel block during the clash.The committee held 29 meetings and interviewed more than 60 officials and finally noted that hostilities existed between IJT and Islamian United Student Federation (IUSF).

While the IUSF maintained that IJT had been opposing all female activities on the campus; therefore, a programme by the IJT (women wing) scheduled on Dec 12, 2019, should not have been allowed.

The report said on Dec 12, 2019, IUSF activists were to close down the female programme in the Activity Centre, which was finally stopped by the management of the university an hour before its scheduled time.

“It is also uncontested that the IJT was agitated due to the closing of their programme before time, which can be confirmed from the fiery speech made by Adil Faiz, a leader of IJT, on the evening of 12.12.2019 in the presence of dozens of IJT activists.”The IUSF leadership gathered a mob in the mess of hostel No 5 & 6, made fiery speeches and then marched towards the Activity Centre where the programme was to be held. The IJT activists were already present there prepared to counter the attackers.

As a result, clashes erupted and spread to several hostels. Both the sides were accused of damaging private and public properties.The committee recommended that the “University should be completely depoliticised and the recruitment of faculty, staff and enrollment of students should be made purely on merit.”

It said all student organisations formed on ethnic, religious or sectarian grounds on the campus, including hostels, should be banned and no one should be allowed to display organisational identities at any place in the university.

“The university should completely depoliticise the campus and professional help and input in this regard may be sought from Nust and FAST. The model of UET, Lahore, can also be studied to depoliticise the university.”

The report also suggested that security management of the university needed to be revamped to deal with any such incident in future.

It has been decided that all students’ trips, seminars, exhibitions, workshops etc., should be arranged by the university without involvement of any political organisation. However, students may be involved where required though committees and societies for positive and healthy co-curricular activities aimed at improving character building, communication skills and professional skills.

Admissions at the BS level should be made on qualifications or through examinations without the influence of any group or political parties while merit lists of all successful and unsuccessful applicants should be displayed to ensure transparency.

All scholarships must be given on an open and competitive manner, and any student involved in any kind of disciplinary case must be blacklisted from receiving any scholarship or financial aid.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2021