Rabbani backs demand of restoring student unions

ISLAMABAD: Former chairman Senate Senator Mian Raza Rabbani supported the restoration of the students union and said the right of students to elect student unions is one conferred as a fundamental right under the Constitution, 1973 and this right was usurped by Zia the dictator, in order to weaken the student movement to perpetuate himself and the elite in power.

“All governments must implement the recommendations of the Committee of the Whole of the Senate of Pakistan and restore student unions and in particular the government of Sindh has no excuse to delay this restoration,” he said.

Raza Rabbani said the ban on student unions has affected the growth of political parties. “As this nursery dried up, opportunist and sky labs found place and took over political parties, as a consequence changing their ideology,” he said.

He said the two missing students from Balochistan must be recovered immediately.

Rabbani said students should be allowed academic freedom at their universities, law enforcement personnel should be withdrawn from campuses, the federal and provincial budgets for education should be increased.

He said students arrested or against whom cases were registered should be released and cases be withdrawn.