Fee hike: Peshawar varsity students stage protest

PESHAWAR: The police on Thursday baton-charged the students protesting at the University of Peshawar campus for demanding withdrawal of the fee hike and resolving other issues.

At least six students suffered serious injuries and several others minor ones in the baton-charge. Up to 23 students including the key leaders of Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM), a conglomerate of different students' federations, were arrested. They were shifted to different police stations. The students later gave a call for province-wide protest for today (Friday).

The call for the Thursday protest had been given weeks ago. The protesting students gathered at the lawns of the New Academic Block of the university to lodge their protest.

The MTM leaders, including Bilal Khan of the Pakhtun Students Federation (PkSF), Sohail Mabood of the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT), Qayyum Shinwari of the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) and Ayub Lala of the People's Students Federation (PSF), in their speeches urged the students to stay calm and peaceful.

After the gathering, the students marched towards the vice-chancellor's office. As soon as they came out of the New Academic Block on the main road outside the Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) Hall, they found a huge contingent of police equipped with batons, riot shields and teargas guns waiting for them. The sloganeering by the protesting students intensified when they saw the police. Instead of moving forward, the students decided to stage a sit-in there. However, the police started beating and arresting the students. Several students were hit and injured. Some photos of the seriously injured students went viral on the social media as well.

Several key leaders of the students' alliance escaped arrest. The police, however, arrested scores of students including Bilal Khan of PkSF, police equipped with batons, riot shields and teargas guns waiting for them. The sloganeering by the protesting students intensified when they saw the police. Instead of moving forward, the students decided to stage a sit-in there. However, the police started beating and arresting the students. Several students were hit and injured. Some photos of the seriously injured students went viral on the social media as well.

Several key leaders of the students' alliance escaped arrest. The police, however, arrested scores of students including Bilal Khan of PkSF, Qayyum Shinwari and Mohammad Atif of ISF and Ayub Lala of PSF. The students had informed the university administration about their demands through the social and mainstream media. The students maintained that the university administration was not ready to listen to them. They said none of the university officials, including the vice-chancellor, was ready to spare time to meet the student leaders. The demands included withdrawal of fee hike, providing hostel facility to the students, action against those involved in sexual harassment, an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the award of scholarships, laptops' distribution and MPhil/PhD grants, and ending harassment of students in the name of security.

The students alleged that the university administration instead of resolving the issue amicably has resorted to browbeating. Two days before the proposed sit-in, some officials of the university arranged a press conference to warn the students to stay away from the protest or else they would be dealt with sternly. A delegation of the students called on the secretary, higher education department on Wednesday evening. The secretary tried to talk to the vice-chancellor of the university by phone. According to sources, vice-chancellor of the university Prof Dr Mohammad Asif didn't take the phone call of the secretary. Later, he talked to the secretary but the matter remained unresolved. The government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has yet to appoint provincial ministers for higher and primary education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Meanwhile, former President of Pakistan and President Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari condemning the brutal violence on the students in Peshawar and said it is most unfortunate to thrash students protesting for their rights. The former president Zardari said the ‘change’ has been exposed and the people who held sit-ins cannot tolerate peaceful demonstrations. “Before providing 10 million jobs to youth the claimants should provide education at a reasonable fees, he said in the statement.

The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemned the police manhandling of the students of the Peshawar University and asked the government not to avenge its continuous failures and U-turns from the students and youth. In a statement, the PPP Chairman said holding peaceful protest for their rights is a democratic right of the students and subjecting them to such cruel treatment by the KPK Police is an intolerable act for any democrat.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed solidarity with the Peshawar University students demanding that all the detained students should be freed forthwith and their fees should be reduced to make education affordable for every student aspiring for the professional higher education. The PPP Chairman also asked for better medical treatment to the injured students and an strong action against those responsible for the torture on students.