Royal rumble

On Tuesday, scuffle broke out between members of a student body and the students of Punjab University on the university’s premises. The clash got so intense that the police had to use tear gas to move the violent crowd. The university – located in the lovely, lively and tolerant city of Lahore – descended into violence when the student body crashed the Pakhtun Cultural Day event being held at the campus. Clashes among student wing of political parties do occur quite often at the campuses of different universities across the country but this type of clash – a clash over the celebrations of a cultural day – should serve as an eye-opener for all concerned to realise that intolerance is widespread in the country. Our country is already in the vortex of variety of crisis.

Unfortunately, our ruling elites have already sown the seeds of hatred and polarisation among people. Their myopic, flawed, flopped, discriminatory, unjust and ethnocentric policies and programmes have created a divide within the country. Clashes on the basis of ethnic and regional backgrounds do not augur well for the national integration and consolidation of the country. The concerned people should take the necessary measure so that such incidents don’t reoccur.

Hashim Abro

Islamabad

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At least 18 students were left wounded in the Punjab University clash. Students associated with the Islami Jamiat Taleba (IJT) allegedly gate crashed a Pakhtun cultural event being held at the university and tried to halt the proceedings. This led the authorities to call police to help control the situation. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah put the responsibility of the clash on IJT activists. The IJT, on the other hand, said that one of their camps was attacked first by the rival group.

Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident. The important point is that Punjab University is one of the oldest universities having no past history of such incidences, therefore, the recent clash has raised many eye brows. The first step is to identify the culprits behind and bring them before law so that such event could be avoided in the future. Students for no reason should resort to violence. If they don’t agree with any kind of activity at their campus, engage in dialogue and try to convince others through reasons and logic. This is how educated community should behave. Remember there is always a peaceful way to convince others. Violence on the pretext of religion or culture should not be encouraged anywhere particularly in academic institutions.

Faheem ur Rehman

Islamabad