QAU shuts down after violent student clashes

Islamabad: Though the country's top seat of learning, Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) is in the news for the wrong reasons - ethnic violence has raised its ugly head again leading to the campus closure.

It all began with heated exchanges between Pashtun and Baloch students in the last two weeks over Balochistan insurgency and loud music played in the hostels and led to a violent clash on February 27 that injured over two dozen, including two critically.

The administration, which didn't act earlier to quell the simmering ethnic tensions, was quick to announce the closure of the university for an indefinite period. It also got the hostels vacated immediately.

Though the administration has no idea how long the university will stay closed, many believe that academic activities will take at least two weeks to resume. Senior staff members voiced concern over the growing violent behaviour of students associated with ethnic groups and advocated a ‘realistic assessment of the serious issue and practical answer to it.’

They believed that the rising ethnic violence had political reasons and would continue threatening the peace on campus until politicians stopped patronizing troublemakers and coming to their rescue in case of punitive action.

A teacher told 'The News' that the formation of ethnic and lingual student councils at the QAU dated back to the early 2000s due to the ban on student unions and dysfunctional student wings of the mainstream political parties.

"Secular nature of these councils got them popular with students. Now, we have councils representing the country’s all ethnic groups from Punjabis to Pushtuns to Baloch to Sindhis to Siraikis to the people of Gilgit-Baltistan," he said.

About the previous student clashes, the teacher said members of the Mehran and Baloch councils attacked each other in 2017 leaving dozens injured.

He added that the university expelled 26 students but a strike coupled with pressure from the ruling politicians led to their resentment.

According to him, a year later, members of the Punjab and Pushtun councils had an armed fight injuring 11 students. Violent attacks by Punjab, Pashtun, and Baloch students against each other were also recorded.

Students demanded an effective clampdown on violent behaviours on campus.

"The [university] administration should send a strong message to troublemakers through its actions that it shouldn’t be expected to tolerate violence – it’s absolutely not on," Aliya Rehman, a student, said.

He said police had been deployed on the campus, while students had been evicted from hostels following the closure of the university. The station house officer said members of the two student groups had heated exchanges twice in the last two weeks firstly over the ongoing insurgency in Balochistan and secondly over the playing of music at full blast in one of the hostels - the actual reason for their physical clash, which involved batons, chains, knives and automatic firearms.

He also said there was a greater likelihood of student councils being banned by the university to prevent violent clashes.

Acting Vice-Chancellor of the QAU Dr. Shaista Sohail said a comprehensive plan was in the works to address ethnic tensions and violence on campus.

"We’ve formed committees comprising faculty members to suggest ways to sort out issues efficiently and effectively. SOPs [standard operating procedures] are on the anvil in light of excellent suggestions put up by all departments to us," she told 'The News'.

The VC said the administration would ensure by all means that the campus violence doesn't happen again.

She warned that the students, who didn't ‘exhibit the best humane values and the highest sense of decorum in all matters’ on the campus and were small in number, would have to leave the university.

Dr. Shaista said the university was actively coordinating with police for the early introduction of a foolproof security plan on the campus. "We [QAU] are looking at policies adopted by other universities as well to come up with an effective, all-encompassing plan to cover the entire period of the students' stay on campus and in hostels," she said.