Student Politics in Pakistan

R evi sit i ng St ud en t Pol it i cs i n Paki st an

Revisiting STUDENT POLITICS in Pakistan

Revisiting Student Politics in Pakistan BARGAD Gujranw a Paki st an, 2009 , al Pri ce: R 300 Title D gn: A ed Zafar s. esi m h Layout: RN Scanner Pr ocess H ouse, Lahore Pri nt er: Punchayat, R ahwali,Guj ranw a. punchayat g ail. co al @ m m BARGAD publi cati ons are i ndependent of specific political part y i nt erests. V e w expressed in t his book do not necessarily represent i s opi ni on of t he or gani zati on orm e b of its Boar d of D rect ors. m ers i BARGAD encour ages di ssem inati on, citati on and repr oducti on of its w ks provi ded t hat has dul y been ackno w edged. or l

Iqbal Haider Butt

Revisiting Student Politics in Pakistanh as been published wi t h support fro the H nri ch Boll S ung ( HBS) Paki st an. m ei tift

BARGADFl at # 1, 1st Fl oor, Nazar Moha m adPl aza, Quai d-e- A m Avenue m za Rah wali G ujranw a. al PAK STAN I Tel: +92- 55- 3868052 Fax: +92- 55- 3864920 E. a i nf o bargad. or g. pk / bar gadpk hot a m m il: @ @ m il.co W ebsite: www bar gad. or g. pk .

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GLOSSARYAIMSF AISC AISF ANP APMSO ATI BSO CPP DSF EBDO GC HEC ICTs ICB ISF ISO IJT JI JSTM JTI KC LUMS MKP MNGs MSF NAP NSF NSO PkSF PNA PPP PSF PTI PU PUNJSU QAU RSS SAC SAP UET USF VC All-India Muslim Students Federation All-India Students Congress All-India Students Federation Awami National Party All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organization Anjuman Talaba-e-Islam Baloch Students Organization Communist Party of Pakistan Democratic Students Federation Elective Bodies Disqualification Order Government College Higher Education Commission Information and Communication Technologies Inter-collegiate Body Insaf Students Federation Imamia Students Organization Islami Jamiat Talaba Jamaat-e-Islami Jaye Sindh Talaba Mahaz Jamiat Talaba-e-Islam Kinnaird College Lahore University of Management Sciences Mazdoor Kissan Party Muslim National Guards Muslim Students Federation National Awami Party National Students Federation Nationalist Students Organization Pukhtun Students Federation Pakistan National Alliance Pakistan Peoples Party Peoples Students Federation Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Punjab University Punjab Students Union Quaid-i-Azam University Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh Students Action Committee Structural Adjustment Programme University of Engineering and Technology University Students Federation Vice Chancellor

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSBARGAD w shes t o t hank all t hose who m ade t his book possi bl e. i First of all, we are hi ghl y obli ged t o t he Hei nri ch Boll Stift ung ( HBS) f or supporti ng it and i n particul ar Gr egor Enst e, Sai a m Jassa andM azher Zaheer. m I have m any t o express m y r atit ude for gi vi ng val uable ti eand g m show ng c ourage t o publi call y s hare t heir account s of st udent i politics. They i ncl ude A eer- ul- A m , A ir Jal al, A ir Jan, m zee m m Ani sa Zeb Tahir kheli, Dr. I sr ar Shah, Dr. Kai ser Bengali, Dr. Khurshi d Hasanai n, Dr. M a zur Ej az, Fayyaz Baqir, Hafi z Abdul n Khali q, Pr of. Azi z- ud- D n Ah ad, Pr of. I bne Has san, Il ayas i m Naveed Shahzad, Ka ran Kh an, Kas hif Bukhari, M ir Hasil m Bi zenj o, M u m m ad Yousaf, Na heeda M ehboob El ahi, Per vai z ha Rashi d, Saeed Sal ee i, Sofia Sabir, Zafar Iqbal M irza ( ZI ), Zahi d m M Isla , Zubair Jan and Zubair Y m ousaf. Aa ir Ri az i s particul arl ym enti oned not onl y f or t hor oughl y m pr ovi di ng hi s i nsi ghts on t hest udent politics, but also forh el pi ng i n i nt er vi e w of A eer-ul- A m ,Hafi z Abdul Khali q, Pr of. Azi z- uds m zee D n Ah ad Saeed Sal ee iand Zafar IqbalM irza ( Z ) i m , m M I . I a i ndebt ed t o Bus hr a Sadi q, M u m qadas Iqbal, Shakeela Ka ukab, M .Ak al, Kashif Bukhari, Na u an Chaudhr y and Sal m aButt f or m m conducti ng and or gani zi ng discussi ons w h t he st udent s. it Saeed Butt is appreci at ed for assist ance i n co p ng t hem a x on m ili tri st udent politics and M ian Khurra Shahzad for pr oof readi ng i nitial m versi on of t he draft st udy. I woul d also li ke t o ackno w edge Dr. Ghazal a Irfan, M u aq Soofi, l sht Nasir Ari an, Pr of. Saji d Ali, Pr of. Shahi d Gul, Na dee O ar, m m Nasira Ha bi b, Gul ina Bilal a nd Shaf qat ull ah f or val uabl e m reflecti ons upon t he issue and Qai ser Nazeer for pr ovi di ng access t o files ofM on hl y D t ehqan andM K C Ps ircul ar. Speci al t hanks go t o A i Salm an Hafi z Rashi d M eh o d, Per vai z l , m o M a jeed and Bahar A i Kazm ifor revi e w ng draft of t he st udy and l i for pr ovi di ng wort hf ul co m en t o fi ne t une t he fi nal draft. m ts

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I a hi ghl y obli ged t o Dr. Khurshi d Hasanai n for writi ngpr ef ace of m t he book and ot her educationi sts who revi e w and co m en ed m ted upon t he dr aft st udy i ncudi ng Pr of. Dr. M a m Yasi nzai VC soo Uni versit y of Bal ochist an Quett a, M a zharul Ha q Si ddi que S. I., V ce Chancell or Uni versit y of Si ndh Ja shoro, Pr of. Dr. M .Latif i m M irza, Acti ng Vi ce Chancell or The Isl a ia Uni versity (I UB) m Baha wal pur a nd Pr of. Dr. M uha m ad Ehsan M a m lik, Di r ect or Gener al U versit y of t he Punj ab, G ni ujranw a C pus. al a m I a t hankf ul t o Ah ed Zafar for title desi gn and Fai sal As ghar and m m Sar ad R for successfully pr oduci ng t his book. m eza M ydeepest appreci ati on isr eser ved f or last: Iqbal Hai der Butt whose research and w ng m ake t he foll ow ng pages. riti i I thank you all!

PREFACEAs we writ e t hese li nes i n 2009, it appears that a paradig shift i n m t hi nki ng of key pl ayers of the so-called Pakist ani establish en is m t under w wi t h regar d t o the rise of reli gi ous m ilitancy and its ay associ at ed terrorist outfits. W eare pr obabl y w t ness t o a so ew del ayed realizati on t hat t he i m hat ver y fabri c of our soci et y stands t hreat ened by t he gr ow h of such t agendas t hat are root ed not onl y i n an extre ist i nt er pret ati on of m Isla but seek sust enance fro t he gri ndi ng povert y,s oci al and m m econo ic i nj ustice and ge neral di se pow m en of peopl e. I n m m er t absence of any credi bl e alternati ves t o t he st at us quo i n the political arenas, t hese i ngredi ents tend t o beco eparticul arl y expl osi ve and m i ndeed lead t o t he ki nd of militant tendenci es we are a wit ness i n t o m a idst. The i dealis and ener gy of t he yout h, in particul ar, is generall y m deepl y di ssatisfied w t h t he pace of change and t he pat ent i nj usti ces i i n soci eties such as ours.

Executive Director BARGAD

It is t herefore i p ve t hat t he yout h re a connected and ar e m erati m in not alienat ed t o political pr ocesses of t he country and can fi nd one or m o de ocratic opti ons t hat e body t heir aspirati ons. The re m m absence of such a connect leads i nvari abl y t o cyni cis in so eand m m oft en t o t he support of extrem is and vi ol ence i n ot hers. m If t he existi ng political options appear redundant and not offeri ng hope, t he de ocratic rout ei s t o creat e ne w opti ons, b ui l d ne w m political ali gn en and i dentify ne wsl ogans. m ts Paki st ani st udent s are confront ed w t h a si ilar sit uati on. Based on i m m ydail y i nt eracti on w t h yout h i n t he age gr oup of 20 t o 30 it i appears safe t o say t hat t he yout h are deepl y cyni cal and di ssatisfi ed w t h t he exi sti ng political opti ons. They l urch fro har bori ng a i m deepl y hostile and suspi ci ous attit ude agai nst t he non-Isla icworl d m based on t heir percepti on of f orei gn conspiraci es agai nst Isla m and Paki st an, t o desperat el y seeki ng an i m ig m rant vi sa t ot hese ver y sa ecountries. m

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Thi s is not t o m o at the or belittle t he sources of t heir anger and ck m frustrati on. They are reacti ng i n t he onl y wa ys t hey can. Not havi ng had t he chance t o devel op a r ati onal and c onsi st ent appr oach because of t he di vorce of student s and politics i n t he past several decades, effecti vel y si nce t he Zi a peri od, t hey have l ost the capacit y t o t hi nk politicall y. Tr aditi onal reli gi ous t hi nki ng st eps in t o fill t his vacuu of political underst andi ng. The c onsequences of t hi s m depoliticizati on are spread out acr oss t he landscape of thi s countr y t oo vi vi dl y t o need any el aborati on. Re- visiti ng St udent Politics i n Paki st an is an i p m ressi ve and ti e m lyeff ort by BARGAD whi ch acquires additi onal i port ance i n , m t he li ght of current sit uati on in Pakist an sket ched above. The de and t o lift t he ban on st udent uni ons now has w despread m i political support, i ncl udi ngt hat of t he parties i n power, whi l e ad in m istrat ors a nd a cade ics ar e deepl y a ppr ehensive of t he m consequences of u nl eashi ng st udent po wer di vorced f r o t he m conti nuit y of political trai ni ng and traditi on. BARGAD s st udy pr ovi desa c o p m rehensi ve and i nsi ghtf ul st udy based on fiel d sur veys and int er vi e w and a m e ngf ul anal ysis of s ani t he st atistics t o deepl y appr oach t he questi on of ho w t o bal ance t he needs of nurt uri ng political educati on whil e m a tai ni ngor der and in acade ic di sci pli ne i n t he ca puses. Indeed as they poi nt out t he m m pri a chall enge is not j ustof acti vati ng st udent politics but is t he m ry need for an i ndependent pol itical appr oach on ca pusesn ot led by m or bli ndl y foll ow ng t he di ktat of different political parties. The real i test if t o defi ne st udents o wn agendas and val ues, and atte p t o m ting convi nce t heir fell ow and soci et y at large for a ne w and bett er s vi si on based on t he val ues and concept s of t hem oder n w d. orl BARGAD s st udy shoul d be of i nt erest not onl y t o t hose who ar e occupi ed w t h ad in i m istrati vel y deali ng w h st udents at the l evel of it Coll eges and Uni versities but also t o all t hose who w sh t o see i de ocracy take root s in ours oci et y - not just w hi n our st at uett es m it but i ndeed w hi n our souls. it ---- S. Khurshid Hasanain Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad

TABLE OF CONTENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1. BACKGROUND 1.2. EMERGING TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES Research Goal Strategic Objectives 1.3. METHODOLOGY AND SCOPE 1.4. BARGAD: PREVIOUS WORK ON STUDENT POLITICS CHAPTER 2: MAPPING THE LITERATURE CHAPTER 3: UNDERSTANDING STUDENT POLITICS 3.1. HISTORICAL CASE OF PAKISTAN 3.2. ANALYTICAL CASE OF PAKISTAN 3.2.1. The Political Context 3.2.2. The Academic Environment 3.2.3. Legacy of the Ideologies and cold war 3.2.4. The Societal Settings 3.2.5. Resources and Motivation CHAPTER 4: TESTIMONIES ON STUDENT POLITICS 4.1. Ameer-ul-Azeem 4.2. Amir Jalal 4.3. Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli 4.4. Dr. Israr Shah 4.5. Dr. Kaiser Bengali 4.6. Dr. Khurshid Hasanain 4.7. Dr. Manzur Ejaz 4.8. Fayyaz Baqir 4.9. Hafiz Abdul Khaliq 4.10. Ilayas Naveed Shahzad 4.11. Kamran Khan 4.12. Kashif Bukhari 4.13. Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo 4.14. Muhammad Yousaf 4.15. Naheeda Mehboob Elahi 4.16. Pervaiz Rashid 4.17. Prof. Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad 4.18. Prof. Ibne Hassan 4.19. Saeed Saleemi 10 15 15 16 18 18 18 20 24 35 35 46 47 49 55 56 57 61 61 63 67 70 73 77 81 85 89 92 97 102 104 109 113 115 117 123 125

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4.20. Sofia Sabir 4.21. Zafar Iqbal Mirza (ZIM) 4.22. Zahid Islam 4.23. Zubair Jan 4.24. Zubair Yousaf CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY

131 133 136 139 141 143 146

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYSt udent politics has been pi vot al t o t he publi c visi bilit y of political forces i n Paki st an, and a m ass co m u icati on t ool f or m any m n m a instrea m and f ri nge s oci al m ove en It s pr o ise f or m ts. m recruit en and inj ecti on off r esh entrants i nt o politics has been a m t hall a contri buti on t o t he weak political parties and unst abl e m rk de ocratic syst e . It has also pr ovi ded cases of resource buil di ng m m for i ndi vi duals and gr oups out si de t he do a of traditi onal sour ces m in of political power based onki nshi p, cast e and creed. The political Isla ist m o m en wer e especi all y t he key benefi ciari es wi t h m ve ts conni vance of t he m a rtial l a w r egi es t o c apitali ze u pon m opport unities of t he col d war and a pr oxy war bet ween Sovi et Russi a and t he US A The rise of ca pus vi ol ence and subsequent . m ban on st udent uni ons, howe ver, br oke t he link bet ween st udent or gani zati ons and t heir out si de t he ca pus m en ors. No w t hat t he m t lifti ng on ban on st udent uni on is i n di scussi on andp r i nci pall y decl ared by t he gover n e t he st udent politics f aces a h uge m nt, chall enge of j ustifyi ng its existence not onl y due t o its vi ol ent past and t he changi ng political and i deol ogi cal cont exts but because of vi si bl e shifts i n acade ic envir on en and gr ow h of e d ucati on m m t t sect or, s oci et al c hanges, access t o ne w t echnol ogies ha vi ng advances i n p olitical c omm uicati on a nd t he e ver-expandi ng n i ncenti ves for alt er nati ve sour ces of resource buil di ng and acti vis m w t hi n t he ca puses. i m Aft er its strong presence i n the struggl e for i ndependence and ot her nati onal m o m en st udent politics over ti e fell p r ey t o a ve ts, m m ilitarist di scourse and was bl a edfor dil uti ng pri a m andat e of m m ry ca puses t he qualit y educati on. m The nexus of ca pus-political forces has dr asticall y bettered no w m . In t he current ti e t here have been soci o- political changes and m s, shifts i n hi gher educati on sect or i n t he recent hi st or y of t he countr y t hat woul d co pel t he st udent politics t o revisit its hi st orical course. m These ar e (i) dr astic i ncrease of fe a st udents, (ii) e ergi ng m le m pri vat e uni versities and hi gher co petiti on for career pl ace en m m t, (i v) m o uni versities and lesser pol arizati on of st udents on i dentit y re and cl ass di visi ons, (iii) gr eat er ur bani zati on and m ed xposure, iae

ANNEX 1: MATRIX OF STUDENT POLITICS IN PAKISTAN 154 1.1. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS: THE PROGRESSIVE PERSPECTIVE 1.1.1. Inception of Student Politics in South Asia 1.1.2. Inception of Student Politics in Pakistan 1.1.3. Earlier Period of Student Politics in Sindh 1.1.4. Earlier Period of Student Politics in Punjab 1.1.5. Student Movement in Gen. Ayub Era 1.1.6. Student Movement in Gen. Yahya Khan Era 1.1.7. The Bhutto Period 1.1.8. The Gen. Zia Era 5.1.9. Religious Organizations 1.2. CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS: THE IJT PERSPECTIVE 154 154 156 156 157 158 161 162 164 165 165

ANNEX 2: REVIEWS AND COMMENTS ON REVISITING STUDENT POLIITICS IN PAKISTAN 177

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and (i v) t he e nd of c ol d war a nd we akeni ng of i deol ogi cal affiliati ons. One hi ghli ght ed f act or i s t he n u ber of f e a st udent s i n m m le ca puses. It i s e nvi sagedt hat wi t h e nabli ng e nvi ron ent i n m m represent ati ve struct ures oft he uni versities a gr eat reservoir f or peacebuil di ng and wo en leadershi p devel op ent is i n the m ak ng m m i and can be capit alized for peacef ul yout h acti on i n Pakistan.

i v. The Soci et al Setti ngs v. Resources andM o tivati on It is ar gued t hat st udent politics has fl ourished i n absence of effecti ve net wor ks of political parties and under pressure fro m t ot alitarian r egi es. The i nt ernati onal trends al so s upport t hi s m cont enti on. Thi s political fact or re a rel ati vel y sa eas t he past. m ins m Ho wever the nati onal and i nternati onal support for consoli dati ng de ocracy i n Pakist an has defi nitel y i ncreased. m It is t he acade ic environm en t hat has pheno enally changed m t m si nce 1947. These changes can be su m a m rized as :t he gr ow h and t m u m ing of t he uni versities, t he pri vatizati on of social ser vi ces shroo li ke t he educati on under t heSt r uct ural Adj ust en Pr ogra m eand m t m t he e ergence of pri vat e i nstit uti ons, gr eat er aut onom y of t he m i nstit uti ons, hi gher c o petition i n j ob pl ace en ri se i n f ee m m t, struct ure, changes i n exa i ati on struct ures, geogr aphic di spersi on m n of uni versities, de ographic change i n yout h popul ati on, open m political co m u icati on, fem a bul ge i n t he uni versities, hi gher m n le educati on ref or sand t he heavy i nvest en on hi gher educati on i n m m t Paki st an. St udent politics and its greater allies out si de t he ca puses have yet m t o realize and adj ust t o t he ext ent of all t hese changes i n t he acade ic sphere and it may be possi bl e t hat an unprecedent ed m transiti on t ow ds i ndependent st udent politics m ayoccur. W em ay ar obser ve t he i ncubati on of ca pus-based acti vis t hat affects t he m m larger soci et y, rat her t han always e anati ng fro political soci et y m m t o t he ca puses. m M o reover, cont e porary student s have ceased t o sol el y depend m upon holistic and t ot alitarian ideol ogi es t o m o e t heir acti vis ; tivat m rat her a ne wt endency for issue- based acti on has e e m rged. Gr o w ng l i vi ng st andards, e ducati on, ur bani zati on a nd i i ndustriali zati on a nd c hanges i n de ography c an a l s o ha ve m m o dernizi ng effects t o pr ovi de ne w s oci al f oundati ons f or t he partici pati on t o st udent politics i n Pakist an. St udent politics has been a traditi onal source of pr ovi di ngr esour ces t o t he or di nar y st udents for gr eat er soci al m oilit y and personal and b

STUDENT POLITICS: HISTORICAL CASE OF PAKISTANThe st udent politics can beu nderst ood t hr ough its four m ilest one m o m en and t he changest hat have occurred i n bet ween. These ve ts are: i. ii. iii. i v. The Pakist anm ove en m t The uprisi ng of 1968- 69 The A ghan w and f ar, The m o m en agai nst i p siti on of e ergency by ve t m o m Pr esi dent G eneralM u sharraf.

The hi st ory of st udent politics is i nf or ed by t he fact t hat t he m st udent or gani zati ons have l ar gel y e xt ended as pirations of t he political parties and re a m ined dependent on t hese out side ca pus m forces for t heir operati ons. Advent uris m of pr ogressi ve st udent m ove en event uall y m t evaporat ed over ti e and t he political Isla ists radi cali zed t he m m politics t o an ext ent t hat t hey have beco e out of t ouch w t h t he m i cont e porar y ordi nary st udent s. m

STUDENT POLITICS: ANALYTICAL CASE OF PAKISTANKey changes i n t he f oll ow ng str uct ures have occurred f or t he i st udent politics: i. The Political Cont ext ii. The A m ic Envir on en cade m t iii. Legacy of t he Ideol ogi es and col d w ar

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pr ofessi onal devel op ent. Ho wever, t here are no w vari ous ot her m for s of associ ati onal traini ng and i ncenti ves, whi ch off er t he m st udent s alt er nati ve st r uct ures f or r esource b uildi ng a nd opport unities for upw d socialm o ilit y. ar b

MATRIX ON CHRONOLOGY OF STUDENT POLITICS IN PAKISTANA t wo- part co p m rehensi ve a nd det ail ed m a has a l s o been trix excl usi vel y co p by the st udy t o m inut el y recor d happeni ngs of m iled t he st udent politics i n P akist an. Thi s m a x pr oduces t wo tri chr onol ogi es of event s presenti ng perspecti ves of t he pr ogr essi ve st udentm ove en and t he IJ Ti ndependentl y. m tsCONCLUSION

TESTIMONIES ON STUDENT POLITICSThe pr esent st udy also contai ns i nt er vi e w of 24 pasta nd a fe w s cont e porar y st udent activi sts al ongw h one f a e j our nalist m it m d co m en ng upon hi s st udent ti e The ai is not just t o gi ve m ti m s. m hi st orical account s on st udent politics but t o refl ect upon t he nat ure of ti e The e phasis is upon act ual practice of st udent politics m s. m rat her t han t he avowed rhetori c used t o enti ce st udent s t hen. These i nt er vi e w can so e m e be conf essi onal. They m ay l so m ake s m ti s a roo for reconciliati on a o practiti oners co ing from different m m ng m i deol ogi cal strands of t he st udent politics. Each i nt er vi e w has been sel ect ed on i ndi vi dual m e the courage ee rit, t o be open and candi d, w l li ngness t o questi on the past, a strong i sense of refl ecti on and flexi bilit y t o self-criticis . They pr ovi de m uni que i nf or a i n each exa p W ehear about i nt oler ance and m tion m le. narr owness of political coll eagues, transf or a m tion fro vi ol ent past m t o peacef ul and i ndependent acti vis , aeri al firi ng by a f e a m m le st udent leader, Af ghan war,c hil drens political part y, success of a t hird non-ali gned force, writer-leaders, foundi ng of a cam p us-based i ndependent gr oup, uni ag ned el ecti on vi ct or y, confessi ons of m i extracti ng boot y, st aunch agit at ors, chall engi ng t he hege ony, m soci al roots of aut horitarianis ,i ncepti on of pri vat e i nstit uti ons by m t he st udent leaders, t he i nfl ux of f undi ng co ing from Af ghan m jehad, hi gh achi evers i n st udent politics and m any ot hera necdot es, testi o ies, eye- w ness account s and experience- based anal ysis m n it t hat woul d peep t hrough wor ki ng of i nner circl es of st udent acti vists and t heirm en ors outsi de t he ca puses. t m Enough m a terial has also been pr oduced i n a seri es ofi nt er vi e w s t hat woul d buil d i ndept h case st udy of once an ent er prising st udent or gani zati on, t he Nati onalistSt udent s Or gani zati on ( NSO), and its event ual de ise. m

The present st udy suggests that gi ven di verse fact ors and changi ng vari abl es t he need t o i nstit ut e represent ati ve f or u s w t hi n t he m i gover nance struct ures of t he uni versities cannot be seta si de. A l l st akehol ders st udent s, student or gani zati ons, political parties, researchers, ci vil soci et y practiti oners and publi c i nt erest leaders, uni versit y ad in m istrat ors, educati on pl anners, poli cy m ak and t he ers gover n en f uncti onari es - wi ll have t o c ar ef ull y v i e w t he m t funda en transiti on i n student politics and also benefit fr o a m tal m devel op ental perspecti ve, wh er eby st udent politicsi s p art of m m rgi e e ng gover nance i ssues pert ai ni ng t o t he u ni versities a nd educati on ad in m istrati on. An i ncl usi ve regul at ory m ehani s f or c m t he st udent politics woul d d o f or t ransparent and a ccount abl e uni versit y syst e , not j ust t he restricti ve gover n en or ders. m m t

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1. B ACKGROUNDAft er decades of m ilitancyr ul e and vi ol ence, Paki stani st udent politics has r esist ed open a nd de ocratic c ult ures o f peace m irrespecti ve of t he countryss t r uggl e for and subsequentl y current transiti on to a full-fledged de ocracy. A cl oser l ook at t he hi st or y m woul d reveal that our educati onal i nstit uti ons have act uall y pr oven predecessors t o t he reli gi ous f unda en m talist politics in Paki st an. Co positi on of t he political Isla leadershi p t oday acr oss gr oups is m m a testi ony t o t his obser vati on. Ri ght fro t he m a m m rtial law eras i n t he 1960s, t he jargon of extre ist st udent politics had never ent ered m m a instrea di scourse and co m u ity l ocati ons until it bounded out m m n of its traditi onal sanct uar y - uni versit y ca puses - i n t he 1980s. m The Ge n. Zi a gover n en in Paki st an, i n an att e p to creat e its m t m t constit uency - i n search of legiti acy and recr uit en i nter nall y and m m t t o gar ner m o patronage for Af ghan war ext er nall y -s t art ed t o re revise curricul u ,pur ge political opponent s and encourage m ilitant m st udent gr oups, m o oft en p olitico-reli gi ous a nd e t hni c, t o re physi call y occupy college and uni versit y ca puses i n t he country. m The m e thod t o engage st udent cl ust ers w t h conflict approaches al so i i nvol ved m ak vi ol ence concei vabl e; so t hat it was t hi nkabl e and ing dee ed or di nar y and i nevit abl e. Ever y oppositi on was crushed w t h m i heavy hands. Educati on andm ed wer e t he m a t ool sb y whi ch ia in m ilitaris ent ered not onl y at t he pr acti cal l evels b ut al so m encr oached upon t he cognitive and soci al constructs of the polit ys educat ed i nhabit ants. Thr ough bot h i nstru en m ts, a m ilitarist di scourse was facilitated by m y m ak ng and ene y ai ng i n t he thi m - k m na e of nati onal i nt erest. To t his end, coll ecti ve vi olence was m m o ed and j ustified, as well as such convi cti ons were i nstilled tivat t hat m ade vi ol ence possi ble i n t he soci al, political and reli gi ous spheres. Thi s can be w t nessed in what we no w popularl y call a i Kal ashni kov cult ure w hi n the ca puses. it m

It was also kept i n vi gilant sur veillance t hat t he st udent s shoul d have lesser opport unities t o i nt eract w t h each ot her so t hat t he pr ospect s i of any st udent m oilizati onc oul d be m in ized. Ho wever, t here b m i wer e so e excepti ons t o the r ul e; i n t hat healt hy acti vities and m leadershi p devel op en pr ogra m e kept persisti ng i n as el ect fe w m t m s educati onal i nstit uti ons t hat have t raditi onall y been sources of pr ovi di ng pr ofessi onal and b ur eaucratic elite of t he country i e. Gover n en Coll ege, Ki nnaird Coll ege, and Ai t cheson Coll ege m t ( Lahore), etc. In short, onl y t hose i nstit utions woul d fl ourish who form ed eit her secul ar islands of hi gh pursuit for lear ni ng and career seeki ng or ot hers who i p m arted reli gi ous educati on for political expedi ency. The t hen m ilitary r egi ea l so e ncouraged par allel s yst e of m m M ad rassah ( r eli gi ous s e inari es) e ducati on by a d ini st eri ng a m m for a m lized zakat (Isla icreli gi ous tit he) syst e . m m The Ge n. M u sharraf govern en was co pelled t o reverse t he m t m poli ci es of col d war. Per cepti ons of co m u is knocked at its m nm doors no m o There was ar ene wed ent husi as for focusi ng m o re. m re attenti on and funds t o t he mai nstrea (secul ar) hi gher educati on. I n m 2002, t he gover n en pr om u ed ne w l egi sl ati on for hi gher m t lgat educati on ( N 2002) t hat vo wed t o get ri d of t he pastp oli ci es. It ov was based on t he report pr epared by t he t ask f orce o n hi gher educati on i n Paki st an ( a 2002) set up at t he federalm in M rch istry of educati on, gover n en of Pakist an, whi ch cl earl y enu erat ed i n its m t m m issi on st at e en t o build a tolerant and pluralistic society rooted m t in the culture of Pakistan. The decl arati on of lifti ng t he ban on st udent uni ons by t he present gover n en offers an opport unit y t o revisit t he effects of st udent m t politics on nati onal polit y and devi se wa ys t o strea line it i n ser vi ce m of peace l ovi ng and gender friendl y ca puses. m

1.2. E MERGING T RENDS AND O PPORTUNITIESCert ai n trends i n t he environ ent of educati on, especi all y tertiar y, m can be aggregat ed by t hose who beli eve i n open, di scri i nati on-free m and de o m cratic soci eties.

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These fact ors can be su m ari zed as: (i) dr astic i ncrease of fe a m m le st udent s, (ii) e e ng pri vat e uni versities and hi gher co petiti on m rgi m for career pl ace en (iii) more uni versities and lesser pol ari zati on m t, of st udent s on i dentit y and class di visi ons, (i v) great er urbani zati on and m ed exposure, and (i v) t he end of col d war and weakeni ng of ia i deol ogi cal affiliati ons. Nu ber of fe a st udents i n uni versities and degr ee- a w di ng m m le ar i nstit uti ons has risen to 178723, of whi ch 162757 wer e st udyi ng at public uni versities. As co pared t o 19 uni versities i n 1984 ( when m st udent uni ons wer e banned), t he nu ber of uni versities has risen t o m 124 (dat a cited fro t he H gher Educati on Co m issi on). In bot h m i m cases, t he di st ance lear ni ng uni versities and t heir st udents have not been count ed. The offici al e phasis upon hi gher educati on can be further gauged m by t he co parati ve fi gures of publi c i nvest en Si nce t he H gher m m t. i Educati on Co m issi on ( HEC) beca e acti ve, t ot al s pe ndi ng m m (recurrent + devel op en by t he HEC gre w by 344 percent i n real m t) ter sbet w m een 2001/ 2002 and 2005/ 20061. The critical m istake i n policy and pl anni ng, ho wever, has been t o pri oritize m anage en i ssues over t he pur pose of a c ade ic m t m asse b t o take education as a cooperati ve lear ni ng tri u phf or m lies m st udent devel op en rat her t han one- w di spersi on of kno w edge m t ay l t o pr oduce passi ve reci pi ents. W h appears t o be hi ghly needed is at t o redefi ne t he critical pot ential of uni versities and hi ghere ducati on i nstit uti ons and i ncul cat e a peace agenda for t he i n a m anner t hat m also s upports on- goi ng acade ic pr ogra m e a nd st udent m m s devel op ent i nitiati ves. m G rl-st udents are one such critical m a t hat coul d vanguar d t he i ss peacebuil di ng efforts in uni versities. W h ereas t hey can no w cherish t heir recent e e m rgence i n nati onal politics, t hey have yet to w n t heir i due share i n leadershi p positions of t he uni versities.

An open s oci al agenda whi ch put s pr e iu on gr eat er fe a m m m le partici pati on and leadershi pi s strat egi call y l ocat ed t o unsettle t he unde ocratic forces i n t hec a puses. It is also a relati vel y soft m m entry- poi nt for peace akers. The i dea t o subj ugati ngwo en is m m co parati vel y w m eaker i n t he ca puses. m The pr esent st udy is a dedicat ed and issue- based i nt erventi on for expl ori ng a venues of pr ogr essi ve a cti on f r o devel op en m m tal perspecti ve and co p m rehendi ng t he past st udent politics by it s practice rat her t han t he nor ati ve and i deol ogi cal asserti ons. m The narrati ve of t his st udy directs t o t he need for peacebuil di ng and wo enleadershi p i n educational i nstit uti ons of Pakist an. m

RESEARCH GOALv To co bat m ilitarist di scourse by articul ati ng a non- vi olent m and devel op en a genda f or uni versit y st udent s i n m tal Paki st an.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVESv v To pr o o peacebuil di ng a nd gender e qualit y wi t hi n m te educati onal i nstit uti ons To bri dge i nf or a and kno w edge gap by hi st ori cal and m tion l di scursi ve revi e w of st udent politics i n Pakist an

1.3. M ETHODOLOGY AND SCOPEIts a qualitati ve st udy based m a l y on i nt ensi ve m appi ng of in literat ure, i ndept h r eadi ng of secondar y dat a and pri m a dat a ry generat ed by i nt ervi e w of twent y-four vet eran st udent leaders and s four gr oup discussi ons w h the st udents. it A of t he m appi ng of literat ure was not onl y t o bri ng fort h m a m i in patt er ns of st udent politics b ut al so t o exa ine appr oaches of m different a ut hors. It was also hel pf ul i n pr esenti ngl ocal a nd

1

The World Bank, Report No. 37247 - HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY NOTE Pakistan: An Assessment of the Medium-Term Development Framework, June 28, 2006.

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i nt er nati onal t heoretical fra ew ks wher e a ut hors on st udent m or politics co efro . m m Duri ng i nt er vi e w we have been di screet t o expl ored et ails of s, event s w t h a m icro- vi e w t ol eadershi p enhance en opport uniti es i m t t hat t he st udent politics o ffered t o our i nt ervi e w a nd t heir ees count er parts i n vari ous peri ods of ti e m . Si nce t he st udy is fut ure- ori ent ed, it has resisted hi st ori calnarrati ves except for those of t he prim a sources and or al testim o ies and ry n where cases on nati onal st udentm o m en have been prepared. ve t The st udy also co p a co p m iles m rehensi ve m a on st udent politics trix i n Paki st an. Thi s chr onol ogyof event s can be a usef ul reference f or gli p ng t he hi st ori cal progress of st udent politics in Paki st an. m si Thi s det ailed chr onol ogy i s deri ved fr o vari ous s our ces and m presents a co p m lete docum en on of event s. In t hat sense, it tati directs t he pr esent aut hor to use hi st or y as a reference f or our di scursi ve anal ysis and at the sa eti et o re a faithf ul t o t he m m m in pri a nf or a m ryi m tion of our int er vi e w ees. For all pr actical pur poses, the known debat e over ban or no ban on st udent politics can be m isleadi ng. It takes t he essenti al vit ure or vi ce of st udent politics forgr antl edl y and t hr ow us t o a pol y ics s m t hat distracts us fro i p rtant questi ons, li ke: m m oq q

The pr esent st udy i s a d eli berat ed, c onsulted a nd arti cul at ed response on t he nat ure of student politics i n Paki st an. Nevert hel ess, its scope is cl earl y de arcated w t hi n the geographi c lim itati ons of m i t he pr esent-day Paki st an. The st udent politics of t het hen East Paki st an is o itted. m The st udy fut her focuses upon uni versit y poitics as a m a e for of tur m st udent politics. It c overs s t udent politics generat ed i n m a jor uni versities and tackl es st udent or gani zati ons whi ch lay cl ai st o m have s o e per anent st ruct ures. I n t hat s ense, t he st udent m m or gani zati ons w t h adhoc mechani s li ke different alliances ie. i m Li beral St udent s Federati on, Li beral St udent s Council, Unit ed St udent s M o m en Bl ack Eagl es, et c and cast e- based st udent ve t, bodi es and st udent gr oups in s a cities and t owns have not been m ll t he focal poi nts of t his st udy. M o reover, t he st udy i ndi cat es t he politics a nd d y na ics of m i deol ogi es e p oyed b y P akist ani st udent politics r at her t han m l pr obi ng nat ure of t he holistice i deol ogi es as such.

1.4. BARGAD: P REVIOUS W ORK ON S TUDENT P OLITICSBARGAD has a speci al t he a pl ace for st udent politics. The m tic or gani zati on t hi nks t hat various for sof st udent participati on and m represent ati on t o t he gover nance struct ures of educati on i nstit uti ons are necessar y for gr oo ing yout h leadershi p. They alsos t r engt hen m de ocracy i n Paki st an and incul cat e t he val ues of transparency and m account abilit y i n yout h ri ght at t heir doorsteps - t he ca p m uses. BARGAD h as or gani zed m o t han 30 p ubli c e vent s, gr oup re di scussi ons, di al ogues, st udy circl es, i nt eracti ve fil screeni ngs, m se inars a ong st udent s and a TVt al k show m m . Duri ng our first regi onal dial ogue on peace and yout h cooperati on i n Dece ber 2003, we alsoi nvit ed represent ati ves from Hu bolt m m Uni versit y, Berli n t o pr esent m o and wor ki ng o f st udent s del parlia en i n Ger any; so t hat t heir best practices, struct ures and m t m

q q q

W h does st udent politics happen? y W h have been t he dri vi ng fact ors and cont exts of st udent at politics i n Pa ki stan; whet her be p olitical, i deol ogi cal, acade ic, struct uaral, soci etal, de ographi c or i ndi vi dual? m m Ho w can w deci pher t he changi ng fact ors over ti e? e m Does politics i n ca puses j ust m e wor ki ng for political m ans parties? W h is t he li nk bet w at een educati on gover nance and t he st udent represent ati on and politics?

On practical gr ounds, our preparati on for de ocratic, peacef ul and m gender-friendl y st udent politics i n Paki st an woul d need unbi ased anal ysis and great er consultati on a ong vari ous stakeholders. m

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pr ocedures can be deli berated i n Paki st an. 2W e have also sought st udent s opi ni on on st udentu ni ons t hr ough our we bsit e si nce 2004 when it w first launched. as BARGAD assi gns and cel ebr at es cert ai n t he et o every year and m tries t o focus acti vities on t hat parti cul ar t he e W ededi cat ed 2007 m . t o t he t he e of st udent politics and hel d m any acti vities on t he m issue. M o reover, BARGAD has published t hree speci al nu bers of its m quart erl y m agazi ne on Student Politics and Organizations( 2008), Student Politics( 2006), and Violence at Campuses( 2001), and t w o vol u es dedi cat ed t o revi e w educati onal polici es of Pakist an . m The st udent politics has rem a ined dor an because of a ban on m t st udent uni ons all t hese years. No w t hat t he gover n en has deci ded m t t o r esu e it, as was al wa ys a dvocat ed by B ARGAD t he m , or gani zati on has been wo rki ng t o s et agenda f or t he st udent or gani zati ons vyi ng for ca pus represent ati on. For t hat a ri gor ous m strat egy and fra ew k wasd e vi sed w t h hel p fro experts i n M ay m or i m 2007 when no ot her gr oup coul d anti ci pat e a ret ur n of t he st udent uni ons i n Pakist an. Under t his strat egy, concept of a 15- day course on revisiti ng st udent politics was devel oped t o m en or core- gr oup of hi gher educati on t st udent s ever y year w t h an overall goal t o li nk st udent s w t h soci al i i causes wi t h particul ar r eference t o peacebuil di ng a nd wo en m leadershi p i n ca puses. This was lat er expanded i nt oa det ail ed m outli ne, whi ch was pr e-t ested t hr ough a sur vey on st udents political percepti ons. Ho wever, w t h t he publi cati on of Nati onal Sur vey on St udent i Politics, 2008 t he or gani zati on pr ovi ded a fresh perspecti ve on st udent s percepti ons on a nati onal scal e. Thi s sur vey has pr oved t o be a hi ghl y ori gi nal account and has affect ed all stakehol ders i nt erest ed i n t he issue t hes t udent s, educati onists, policy m akers, researchers,m ed and t he politici ans. ia2

W ith a sci entificall y desi gned 5 per cent sa p si ze o f all 23 m le general educati on publi c uni versities, BARGAD s nati onal sur vey was hail ed as t he largest ever consult ati ve st udy on st udent politics fro t he perspecti ve of st udents, t he gr ound br eaki ng st udy and m a r are wor k d one aft er t he Ha ood- ur- Reh an Co m issi on m m m Report on st udent pr obl e s and issues i n 1966. No t onl y t he m nati onal m ed but al so t he i nt er nati onal m ed a nd r esearch ia ia co m u it y favourabl y covered and revi e w the nati onal sur vey. m n ed The aut hor was also i nt ervi ewe d bot h by pri nt and el ectroni c m ed ia on several occasi ons. The t w launchi ng cere onies of t he N onal Sur vey on St udent o m ati Politics, 2008 furt her facilitat ed m u lti-stakehol der di al ogues on t he issue. One of t he i p m ortant out co es was t hat aft er its publi cati on m m any vet eran st udent leaders now nati onal political leaders have co e out t o publi call y di scuss t he st udent politics oft heir o wn m ti e M any have a c hanged vi e w n o w a nd s peak of t he m s. i ndependence of st udent politics fro outsi de politics. m BARAGD al so hel d a f irst ever nati onal conf erence of Vi ce Chancell ors on Peacebuil di ng and W o enLeadershi p Devel op en m m t i n C puses. m a It was hel d on 3- 5 M a 2009 i n Bhur ban, M u rch rree. The conference was pr ogra m edi n fi ve i nclusi ve sessi ons na e A s H gher m m ly; i of i m Educati on a nd Nati on Bui l di ng; Chall enges o f Yout h Radi calizati on; Peacebuil di ng and St udent Politics: Revisiti ng t he Past; W o enLeadershi p De vel op en i n Ca puses; Identifi cati on m m t m & P lanni ng for A on i n C cti am p uses. The m agnit ude of t he conference was ver y hi gh and unpar all el ed si nce m o t han 12 wort hy V ce Chancell ors al ong w t hs eni or m o re i i st facult y m e b of differentu ni versities fro acr oss Paki st an t ook m ers m part t here i n. They i ncl ude Uni versit y of Bal ochi st an, Quett a; Uni versit y of Pes ha war; Uni versit y of Agri cult ure Fai sal abad; Lahore Coll ege for W o enUni versit y; Uni versit y of Gujrat; DO m W Uni versit y of Healt h Sci ences Kar achi; K nnaired Coll ege Lahor e, i Sar dar Ba hadur Khan W o en Uni versit y Quett a; Uni versit y of m Central Punj ab Lahor e; Go al Uni versit y D I. Khan; Quaid-i- A m m . za Uni versit y Isla abad; The Isl a ia Uni versit y of Baha wapur; CB m m M Kar achi and Uni versit y of t he Punj ab Guj ranw a Ca pus. Besi des al m

See BARGAD. Report: First Regional Dialogue on Peace and Youth Cooperation, Gujranwala: BARGAD, 2003.

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t his august gat heri ng t here wer e chairpersons and deansof different faculties Punj ab Uni versit y Lahore; Si ndh Uni versit y ofJ a shor o; m and Uni versit y of Sar godha. The wi der c onsult ati on on st udent politi cs has cr eat ed a n environ en t hat has m ade possi bl e open and public di scussi ons on m t t he i ssue r i ght wi t hi n t he uni versities a nd hi gher e ducati on struct ures. E w rst hile, it w a tabooed subj ect. as

CHAPTER 2: MAPPING THE LITERATUREThr ough our m appi ng of the literat ure, we f ound t hef ol l ow ng i m a trends on st udent politics i n Pakist an: jor The s chol arl y l it erat ure on p oliti cs narrat es general contri buti on of st udents and young peopl e t o vari ous nati onal m o m en but it does not de onstrat es yout h as a ve ts m di sti nct gr oup t hat is self-consci ous of t heir independent gr oup i dentit y. Research on st udent politics has b een largel y done by vet eran l eaders affiliated wi t h st udent or gani zati ons on i deol ogi calgr ounds; or it is co posed of m i nt er vi e w ne w paper a nd on-li ne writ e-ups, o ral s, s testi o ies, m n or gani zational docu ents m a nd aut obi ographi cal account s of political hi st ory. Academ ic wor k on t he t opi c is generall y unpublished and has been co p m leted t o pursue M A phil and Ph D d e gr ess i n /M vari ous uni versities of Pakistan. Lit erat ure on st udent politics m o y f ocuses upon t he stl m o tivati onal f act ors i. e. i deol ogy, beli ef s yst e and m personal appeal of recruit en t o nati onal m o m en m t ve ts. Ther e is lesser literat ure on the possi bilit y of devel op ental m appr oach; i n t hat ho w t he st udent politics has contri but ed t o enhanci ng r esources f or a cti vists and opport unities f or soci al m ob y. The s oci o- political f act ors a nd i ts ilit co patabilit y wi t h e xpandi ng e ducati on s yst e s and m m pr ogra m ing have also been rarel y t ouched i n narrati veof m st udent politics. Ther e have been f our m i est one m a m o m en i n l ss ve ts Paki st an i n whi ch st udents wer e politicall y quit e acti ve and si gnificantl y vi si bl e i n t he publi c acti on: (i) t he Paki stan m o m en (ii) t he uprisi ngo f 1968- 69, (iii) t he Af ghan ve t, war and, and (i v) t he m oe en agai nst i positi ono f vm t m m rgency by Presi dent G e e eneralM u sharraf. H st or y of st udent politics indi cat es t hat it is ext ensi ono f i nati onal or ot her political parti es. It has e anated fro m m larger political cont ext out si de t he ca puses i.e. political m parties and t he i deol ogi cal l oyalties t hat t hey ca e from , m

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and pl ayed a pr oxy cont est for politici ans i n t he pr esenceof successi vem ilitary regi es in Pakist an. m A revi e w of st udent politicsi n Paki st an woul d reveal that de ocratic a nd p olitical acti vis of yout h i s l ar gel y m m m i i ag ned as m ass politics, st reet po wer a nd i nt ense uprisi ngs. W ith t he advent of Af ghan Jehad, t he m ilitant tendenci es rose fro t his politics, where do inant st udent m m gr oups act ed as m a m oilizers and recr uiti ng agenci es of ss b yout h for t his jehad if not t he articul at ors. Ther e are vari ous expl anations of st udents di si nt eresti n m a instrea st udent politics, f or e xa p vi ol ence i n m m le ca puses, ban o n st udent politics, weaker political m or gani zati ons a nd l esser a ffor dabilit y of e ducati on e tc. Ho wever, so e literat ure woul d ar gue t hat t his si gnifi es m aversi on of st udents t ow ards do inant for s of ca pus m m m politics rat her t han rej ecti ngi t per se. Ther e are verifi abl e i ndi cati ons t hat st udent s appr ove uni on acti vities wi t hi n ca puses but disappr ove politics [of t he past]. m The di sti ncti on bet w een percepti on of st udent politics and uni ons a ong t he literat e yout h can pr ovi de us i nsi ght s m about what ki nd of politics is accept abl e t o t he st udent s and ho w t hats called apolitical by t he m a instrea political m act ors i n t he countr y. W ith t he recent e e m rgenceo f i nt erest i n ci vi c acti vism , t here has been so e m a m terial on partial nati onal scal e on yout hs political percepti ons and trust i n political syst e . m The r evi e w of m ilest one m o m en suggest s t hat t he ve ts cont e porar y st udent s ar e politicall y behavi ng q uit e m differentl y t han pr evi ous hi st ori cal exa p m les. Ther e isa st ark depart ure fro hi st orical trends. It woul d co pelu s m m t o go beyond t he hi st ori cal appr oaches t o co p m rehend the changi ng nat ure of yout h political partici pati on i n Paki stan and e xpl ore i nt er pret ati ons o f t he c hange i n st udents coll ecti ve behavi our fr o t he s oci o- political, acade ic, m m struct ural, devel op en and ps ychol ogi cal fact ors that m tal m ight have caused t he shift. A co b m inati on of e ergi ngf act ors li ke t he de ography, m m m ed and I CTs, i ncreased urbani zati on, great er enr oll e t ia m n of wo en yout h especi all ya t t he hi gher educati on level, m t he ci vil s oci et y st rengt heni ng a nd t he i ncenti ves f or

political partici pati on ar e p ossi bl y c hangi ng p olitical behavi our of t he present-day st udent s. To foll ow t he hi st orical traces of st udent politics can be a frustrati ng exercise i n our nati onal m ilieu. The excl usi ve m a terial on st udent politics is a rarit y. Onl y one book of a pr ogressi ve w riter ( Pr of. Azi z- ud- di n Ah ad) can bec i t ed as a dedi cat ed publi cati on. The m rest of such literat ure, al o all avail abl e, on st udent politics has m st been generat ed by Isla iJam iat Taal ba and its affiliat e i ndi vi dual s m and gr oupsm a y t o groo t he obser vant cadres. inl m The a cade ic t ext i s pr acticall y s hel ved i n l i braries a nd i s m unublished. In t he m a instrea literat ure on politics and hi st ory, a few foot not es m on st udent partici pati on andp ol itics i n t he vast body of hi st ori cal account s coul d m ake t heir space; i n whi ch the nati onal m o m en ve ts are f ocus of t he st udi es and t he st udent s a nd t heir pot enti al co p m en t he force of such m o m en They for p art of a m le ts ve ts. m great er nati onal i dentit y and ar e not s elf-consci ous of t hei r di sti ncti veness as an or gani zed st udent body. In t hese account s, st udenta nd yout h is not t he subject. Their pot enti al and yout hf ul ness to ser ve a great er nati onal cause is what i nt erests t he aut hors. W emay fi nd docu en on of event s but no m tati anal ysis is gi ven on st udent politics itself. Thi s ar gu en is especi ally true f or t he first t hree out of f our m t m ilest one m o m en whenP a ki st ani st udents are deem ed t o be ve ts politicall y acti ve: (i) t he Pakist an m o m en (ii) t he uprisi ng of ve t, 1968- 69, (iii) t he Af ghan war, and (i v) t he m o m e t agai nst ve n m ositi i p on of e e m rgency by Pr esi dent G eneralM u sharraf. In fact, onl y i n t he last m ilest one m o m en t he m o recent one, ve t, st we have f ound t hat st udents and yout h as an i ndependent and hi ghli ght ed entit y have e e m rged i n publi c di scussi ons. W ecan see t hat i n a nal ytical t er s t his c ourse of i nquir y b egan wi t h m de ographi c st udi es r at her t han t he hi st ori cal a nd p olitical m literat ure.

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In t he first exa p of Paki st an m o m en we havet o br o w m le ve t, se wor ks of a ut hors li ke Ay esha Jal al ( 2001), St ephen P. Cohen (2004), K K A z, Sir dar Shaukat Ha yat Khan (1995),e t c. Thei r . . zi narrati ves shed so eli ght in ter sof event s and develop ents on m m m when and wher e t he youngp e opl e, especi all y as t hreeo r gani zed gr oups, as t he M u m Nati onal Guar ds, A l Indi a M u sli l slim St udent s Federati on and Punj ab M u m St udent s Federati on, m oili zed t he sli b M u m popul ati on of United I ndi a i n different l ocalities duri ng sli t heir ca p gn for a separat e ho e m ai m land, Pakist an. 3 Thi s m a instrea schol arship of Paki st an m o m en is a cl assi c m ve t exa p of ra w m en oni ng of event s when it co e t o yout h m le ti m s acti vis int hem ak ng of Paki st an and t he partiti on of Indi a. m i Ian Tal bot (1996) ho wever is an excepti on, who is deeply consci ous of t he rol e t hat t he M u slim Nati onal Guar ds ( N s) pl ayed i n M G Paki st an m o m en and t he hi st ori ans negl ect of t hese yout h ve t vol unt eers. He woul d rat here phasi ze i n a dedi cat ed chapt er t hat m t hese vol unt eers wer e as m uch a s y bolic underpi nni ng of m Paki st ani nati onalis as t he ne w flag and ant he [of Pakist an]. 4 m m They de onstrat ed publi c partici pati on i n t he freedom str uggl e m especi all y i n ur ban areas of nort her n Indi a. They alsop r ovi de a bott o -up vi e w of t he politics of M u m League t hat traditi onall y m sli was elitist li ke ot her c ont est ants. At one poi nt, Sal ar-i- A m za ( Co m ander i n Chi ef) of the M N s cl ai si n hi s autobi ogr aphy m G m t he nu ber of its m e b was ar ound 300, 000 yout h onl y i n one m m ers pr ovi nce Bengal. Accor di ng t o Tabl ot, t he fearso eappearance of m ilitant Ras htri ya m Swaya Sevak Sangh ( RSS)f r o t he H ndu co m u it y m u have m m i m n st so ei nfl uence upon founding of t he Nati onal M u m Guar ds; as m sli3

t he pi oneers of M N s ca e fro t he RSSs heartlandi n Nagpur. G m m The M N s wer e i nvol ved i n pr opaganda, or gani zati on a nd G m anage en of political m eti ngs and relief wor k acti vities f or t he m t M u m co m u it y. Ho wever bot h t he RSS and t he M N w ll al so sli m n Gs i be r e e b m m ered as l eadi ng gr oups of m o ng vi ol ence a nd unti reli gi ousm ilitancy duri ng t he partiti on of Indi a. Secondl y: In t he post-i ndependence era, st udent s rol e is i ndirectl y hi ghli ght ed i n Lal Khans recent book, launched i n 2009, fr o a m trade uni on and M a rxist perspecti ve when he docu en he event s m tst of 1968- 69 and uprisi ng for indi cati ng a revol uti on i n Pakist an. 5 Thir dl y, Af ghan Jehad peri od gi ves us st ark exa p of st udents m les rol e i n nati onal politics. This ho wever m ixes bot h pr ocedur al and illegiti a acti vis as com p m te m ared t o ot her m ilest one m o m en ve ts whose apparent pur pose wa s peacef ul and w t hi n t he do ains of i m law The political rall yi ng and pr opaganda for the Jehada gai nst t he . sovi et Russi a m an ifest ed pr ocedural a cti vis , but t he a ct ual m recruit en m ilitary trai ni nga nd ot her subversi ve acti vities poi nt ed m t, t o illegiti a acti vis for t he Jehadi cause w t h t he incepti on of m te m i st udent and yout h gr oups beli evi ng i n revol uti on t hr ough ar ed m struggl e (jehad). Ther e is a strand of literat ure and publi c stat e en ofi port ant m ts m political fi gures t hat woul da s sert that st udents and yout h wer e ext ensi vel y r ecr uited f or the Af ghan Jehad ca pai gn and it is m regar ded as one of t he open secrets of nati onal politics har dl y chall enged b y a ny p olitical c o m en or. M any e inent m tat m personalities li ke t he late Prim eM in ister M sBenazir Bhutt o (2008), Gener al Per vai z M u sharraf (2006), A bassador Hussain Ha qqani m (2005), et c., endorse t he existence of a ca pai gn for af ghan war m w t hi n Paki st an. 6 Ho we ver there is ver y little i nvesti gati on on t he i det ails and act ual operati ono f yout h recr uit en and the political m t5

See Khan, Shaukat Hyat. A Nation that Lost its Soul Lahore: Jang Publishers, 1995. Jalal, Ayesha. Self and Sovereignty: Individual and community in South Asian Islam since 1850 Lahore, Pakistan: Sang-E-Meel Publications, 2001. Cohen, Stephen Philip. The Idea of Pakistan, Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2004.4

Khan, Lal. Pakistans Other Story: The 1968-69 Revolution. Lahore: The Struggle Publications, 2008.6

See details in pp.59-80. Talbot, Ian. Freedoms Cry: The Popular Dimensions in the Pakistan Movement and Partition Experience in North-West India, Karachi: Oxford University Press: 1996.

See examples in Bhutto, Benazir. RECONCILIATION: Islam, Democracy and the West, London: Simon & Schuster, 2008. Musharraf, Pervez. In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, London: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Haqqani, Hussain. Pakistan: Between Mosque And Military, Lahore: Vanguard Books, 2005.

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partici pati on of yout h i n t his ca p gn. The offi ci al versi ons of m ai Isla i Ja iat Tal aba (IJT), s i st er or gani zati on of t heJ a aat-em m m Isla i, pr ovi de us aut henti c i nsi ghts about t heir politicals upport t o m Af ghan Jehad t hrough a series of Jehad conferences. They uphol d and t ake cr edit f or t he success of j ehad agai nst soviet Russi a t hr ough politicalm o ilizati on of yout h. 7 b Duri ng t he sa e peri od, secul ar nati onalist st udent groups al so m resort ed to vi ol ent and m ilitant tendenci es w t h m a ve use of ar s i ssi m and occupati on over ca puses. m It is t he fourt h and latest m ilest one m o m en agai nst im p on of ve t, ositi m rgency rul e by Ge neral M u e e sharraf, whi ch has reall ywo ken t he worl d by st udent c oll ective a cti on a nd m an ifests a s t udent co m u it y t hat has act ed i na n or gani zed m anner for rule of la w i n m n Paki st an. It has cr eat ed f or a pl atfor s w t hi n a nd o ut si de m l m i ca puses. Ne w st udent or gani zati ons li ke t he St udent s Acti on m Co m ittee, Uni versit y St udent s Or gani zati on ( USF) a nd I nsaf m St udent s Feder ati on ( I SF) h a ve been f ounded. Th e a ged- ol d m o nopol y of IJT i n t he bi ggest uni versit y of Paki st an, The Punj ab Uni versit y, was also br okena ft er a spat e of st udent prot est agai n m anhandli ng of cri cket er-t ur ned- politici an I ran Kh a n i n m Nove ber 2007. The present m o m en is ur ban, m o recepti ve t o m ve t re m ixed gender i nt eracti ons, non-affiliat ed w t h political parties and is i ext ensi vel y usi ng virt ual space, web- bl oggi ng, el ectroni cm e ssagi ng and cont e porary t ools of co m u icati on. m m n The scal e of t he l at est move ent is debat abl e as co pared t o m m previ ous exa p m les. In Paki st ani perspecti ve, p ol itical partici pati on o f yout h i s practicall y t o speak of st udent acti vis .The m a charact eristi c of m in t his acti vis is its dependence and affiliati on w t h political parties. m i Ther e have ver y fe w i ndependent st udent or gani zati ons. In t he f our m ilest one political m o m e t s of yout h, t he non- affiliated acti vists ve n have surfaced i n t he lat estm ove en for rul e of la wi n Pakist an. m t7

A l ook at t he list of Paki st ans m a st udent or gani zations woul d jor reveal t hat all t hese bodi es wer e sister or gani zati ons of t heir m o ther political parties. I n c ase o f har dcore l eftist or gani zati ons, under gr ound political gr oups woul d contr ol t he st udento per ati ons and t he affliati on w never publi call y owned. as The list of affiliat ed st udent or gani zati ons i ncl ude the M u m sli St udent s Federati on ( SF Isla iJa iat Tal aba (IJT), A l Paki st an M ), m m l St udent Or gani zati on ( APSO Peopl es St udent s Organi zati on ), ( PSF), I nqal abi M ahaz-e-Tal aba ( I T De ocratic St udent s M ), m Or gani zati on ( DSF), Nat i onal St udent s Feder ati on ( NSF), Nati onalist St udent s Or ganizati on ( NSO Al l Paki st an M u ), hajir St udent s Or gani zati on ( APM SO Bal och St udent s Organi zati on ), ( BSO Anj u an Tal aba-e-Isla ( ATI), J a iat Tal aba-e-Isla ), m m m m (JTI), Pukht un St udent s F e der ati on ( PkSF), I nsaf St udent s Federati on ( I SF), J aye Si ndh Tal aba M ahaz, Si ndhi Shagir d Tahreek ( SST) et c. The st udent politics was also di vi ded by an i nt ense i deol ogi cal struggl e bet w een t he political Isla ists and t he left-ori ent ed parti es m i n an over-all environ en of col d war. The bul k of literat ure t hus m t rel at es st udent acti vis t o adherence t o t he i deol ogi cal i deas and m when t hese c o m it en a r e n ot pr esent no w t hey woul d m m ts , aut o a m ticall y c all ne w a nd p oliticall y non- part y a cti vis m as apolitical. 8T hei r st andpoi nt m ayno w be unaccept abl e by m a y jorit of t he st udents as has beeni ndi cat ed by t he Nati onal Sur vey on St udent politics, 2008, but it is wort h- en oni ng t hat bot h t hese m ti ri ghtist and leftist acti vists have been t he leadi ng forces of st udent acti vis in Pakist an i n t he post-i ndependence era. m It is nevert hel ess t o t he credit of AP SO and BS O t hat t hey M preceded a nd c aused t he f or a m tion of t heir [ present] m o ther political parties. AP SO was founded i n June 11, 1978 whil e t he M BS O ca ei nt o bei ng i n 1967, bot h pri or t o t he parti es t hey ar e no w m8

See interviews of Chiefs of the IJT (Shabbir Ahmed Khan, Meraj ud din, Ejaz Ahmed, Rashid Nasim, Amir ul Azeem and Seraj ul Haque) in Jab Woh Nazam-e-Ala Thay, Vol. 3, Lahore: Idara Mutbooat-e-Talaba, edition 3, Jan 2008.

See for example, Ahmad, Aziz-uddin. Pakistan Mein Talaba Tehreek, Lahore: Mashal, 2000, and Tareekh Jamiat Committee. Jab Woh Nazim-e-Ala Thay (Vol 1, 2, 3, 4) Lahore: Idara Matbooaat-e-Talaba. [Ahmad in his recent newspaper writings, however, seems to have revised earlier stands expressed in his book.]

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politicall y ali gned. 9T hi s shoul d ho wever be m en onedt hat BS O ti leadershi p was part and parcel of the Nati onal Awa i Part y ( NAP). m In fact its founder Dr. Ha yeeBal och was el ect ed M N Aon t he ticket of NAP, whil e he was still secretray general of t he BS O. Li ke w se i i n t he case of NS O a gr oup of pr ofessors concei ved the st udent or gani zati on. In any case, if not a m a instrea political part y, gr oups m of el ders wer e al w i n t hes cene even i n t he case of indepentl y ays gr own st udent organi zati ons. So eanal ysts woul d also argue t hat w t hi n t he overall pri nci pl es of m i political-Isla ic i deol ogy gui ded by t he t eachi ngs o f M au m lana M audaudi, t he IJ T has act ed i ndependentl y and so e e led its m tim s m o part y t he JI especi all y i n t he Zulfi qar A i Bhutto era rat her ther l t han foll ow ng. 10 PI LDAT s di scussi on paper also i ndirectly cl ai s i m t o t he sa eeffect for t he Gen. Zi a regi e it is also believed t hat m m : t he decisi on was based onr e ports t hat anti-gover n ent st udent m alliances had gai ned consi derabl e i nfl uence and strength and t hese coul d pose a t hreat t o Gen. Zi a- ul- H aqs gover n en 11 Per haps it m t. m lies i p t hat t he IJT differed w t h t he JI poli cy of coll aborati ng w t h i i Gen. Zi a and was t hen part of t he anti-gover n ent alliance. Sal an m m Abi d also supports t his t heory of partial difference bet ween t he IJT and JI duri ng t he Ge n. Zi as rul e. 12 Ne vert hel ess t his iss e ver el y cont est ed on hi st ori cal evi dence and taken as an eff ort t o condone JIs collaborati on w h t hem artial law aut horities. it Ther e ar e t wo m a e xplanati ons f or dependence of st udent jor acti vis over t he political p arti es: (i) t he i ncepti ono f st udent m politics by t he leadi ng political part y t o facilitat e t he struggl e f or9

i ndependence [ Thi s is also true for Indi a], and t he (ii) contr ol and ban on political leaders t hrough restricti ve law li ke t he Publi c and s Repr esent ati ve Of fi ce D squalificati on Act ( PRODA) i n1 9 49, t he i El ecti ve Bodi es D squalificati on Or der ( EBDO i n 1960 and t he i ) Political Parties Act of 1962a nd t hen t he successi ve unde ocrati c m regi es specificall y i n Paki st an. The pr oponent s of t hel att er i dea m m a tai n t hat i n t he a bsence of political pr ocess, the def unct in political l eaders c hose t o s ho w t heir m u scles t hr ough st udent or gani zati ons. 13 T hi s also creat ed a space for street anda git ati on politics. It is no coi nci dencet hat t hroughout t he 1950s and till lat e 1960s onl y t hose st udent organi zati ons i n W e Paki st an present st day Paki st an - coul d thri ve i n ca puses whi ch adheredt o radi cal m versi ons of changi ng t he soci et y fro t heir respecti ve ri ghtist and m leftist standpoi nts. Political parties have capit alized upon show ng of m u es, street i scl po wer and i nt ense uprisi ngs t hrough st udent politics untilt he 1990s when t he st udent uni ons w event uall y banned. ere In t he pr e-i ndependence era, t he hi st ori an Sharif ul M uahi d cit es j exa p bet w m les een 1 937 a nd 1946, when t he f ear of st udent de onstrati ons det erred m a y l eadi ng pr ovi nci al chi efs such as m n Fazl ul Haq, Khi zr Ha yat Khan Ti w ana and G . Syed t or evolt and M . chall enge t he leadershi p of Quai d-e- A m M u m m ad A i Ji nnah za ha l and pl ayed a cr uci al r ol ei n s ust ai ni ng Ji nnah i n hi s si ngul ar leadershi p. 14 Li ke w se, Gen. Ayub Khanhi self accused M au i m lana M audaui of creati ng st udent troubl es i n Nove ber 1963 bef ore banni ng t he m JI. 15 The event s of 1968 are also testi o ials t o t he street po wer of m n st udt ents and yout h. Syed W a Nasr (1994) and Javed Hash i li m (2005) post ul at e t hat t he role of agit ati onal politics of the st udent s was ext ended t o so m u hei ghts agai nst t he Zulfi qar A i Bhutt o ch l13

See Interview with Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Secretary General, National Party.

See pages 57-67 in Nasr, Seyyed Vali Reza. The Vanguard of the Islamic Revolution: The Jama'at-i Islami of Pakistan. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994.10 11

PILDAT, Proposed Revival of Students Unions in Pakistan: Discussion Paper, Islamabad, Revised: September 2008, p.5. Abid, Salman. Talba Siyasat, Siyasi Shaoor or Bhatta Khori kay Dirmiyan, in Monthly Awami Jamhoori Forum. Issue No. 46,. pp-22-25 http://www.awamijamhoriforum.org/46thissue/innerpage.php?type=Art%20 11&image_id=1

Interview with Aamir Riaz, Editor monthly Awami Jamhoori Forum. Mujahid, Sharif al. CHAPTERS FROM HISTORY: Students role in the Pakistan Movement. Daily Dawn, June 30, 2002 Ghulam Ghous, The Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan in Ayub Era (1958-69), MPhil Thesis (unpublished), Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, 2001.

14

12

15

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regi e t hat t hey wer e t he r eal oppositi on l eadi ng m a m instrea m political parties. W ith t he arri val of Af ghan war, a ne w el e en of m ilitancy rose t o m t its peaks wi t h open di spl ay of ar s w t hi n c a puses. 16 m i m Subsequentl y t he st udent uni ons wer e banned by M a rtial l a w notificati on i n 1984. On 1 Jul y, 1992, ever y st udent and hi s parent s/ guar di an wer e bound by t heS upr e eCourt of Paki st ant o gi ve an m undert aki ng at t he ti eof ad issi ons not t o i ndul ge in politics. m m Ever y coll ege and uni versit ys t udent i n Paki st an has t o provi de t his affi davit till dat e. The Supre eCourt furt her banned all st udent uni ons on 10 M a m rch 1993. St udent or gani zati ons have resisted this ban. Ne vert heless t here is vast support for t he ban especi all y fro t he educati oni sts si de who m t hi nk t hat st udent uni on activities have contri but ed t o vi ol ence and m ilitancy a nd di sr upti on o f st udi es i n c a puses. I n a n m unpr ecedent ed m o V ce Chancell ors of all publi c and pri vat e ve i uni versities of Pakist an i n a nati onal tele-conference regar ded it i nappr opri at e t o lift t he bana t t he present critical sit uati on of t he country. They r at her s upport ed t he gr o w h of s oci eti es a nd t associ ati ons w t hi n ca puses. They furt her accused t he uni ons of i m bei ng a source of vi ol ence and di srupti on i n st udi es. 17S o m evet eran st udent acti vists also now appr ove deli nki ng st udents wit h nati onal political parties and vi ol ence of t he past. 18 Two m a sur veys on st udent/ yout h politics confir t hat st udent s jor m negati vel y vi e w the i nfl uence of out si de ca pus politics. Ho wever m16

it was found out by t he National Survey on Student Politics, 2008 , t hat aversi on of st udent s is t ow ds do inant for s f ca pus ar m m o m politics li nkage w t h political parties, vi ol ence, i deologi es et c i rat her t han rej ecti ng it per se. There are verifiabl e i ndi cati ons t hat st udent s appr ove uni on activities w t hi n ca puses but di sappr ove i m politics. That m e t hatt hey wa nt t o engage t hem sel ves i n ans essenti all y political acts but seek t o re a out si de t he i nfl uences of m in for a i nstit uti ons of gover nm en conventi onal political act ors (i. e. m l t, parties), and traditi onal for s of political behavi our. 19 m The f or a m tion of ne w st udent bodi es li ke t he St udent s Acti on Co m ittee ( SAC), I SF andUni versit y St udent s Federati on ( USF) m duri ng the last t hree years and t heir rol e i n t he m o m ent agai nst ve m ositi i p on of e e m rgency rule by t he Gener al M u sharraf gover n en m t also de onstrat es si ilar effects of a ca pai gn- based politics on m m m issues rat her t han subscri bi ng t o parties, i deol ogi es or vi olence. Our revi e w of literat ure suggests t hat t he latest st udent uprisi ng is uni que in its charact er as co pared t o first t hree exa pl es of t he m m Paki st an m o m en t he uprisi ng of t he 1968- 68 and the Af ghan ve t, Jehad politics. Tr ends have hugel y c hanged. So t he hi st ori cal appr oach t o u nderst and t he st udent/ yout h parti ci pati on i n de ocracy and politics is likel y to fail at expl ai ni ng t hen e w for s m m of gr oup cohesi on, net wor ki ng and m oilizati on of student s and b yout h i n Pakist an. Ther e is a need t o revisit t he st udent politics and pr obe soci opolitical, acade ic, i deol ogical, soci et al envir on ents and i dentify m m resources and m o tivati on for ent eri ng i nt o t he st udent politics and see if t hese are no w e erging i n ot her avenues of st udent life i n m ca puses as w m ell.

Interview with Senator Anisa Zeb Tahirkheili, twice elected vice president of the Peshawer University Students Union, and later the founding Secretary General of the Peoples Youth Organization and a Federal Minister.17

Daily Dawn, 12 April 2009.

18

Interviews with Anisa Zeb Tahir Kheili, Fayyaz Baqir and Pervaiz Rashid, and see strong views of Jehangir Badr (now Sect. Gen. PPP) and Khawaja Saad Rafique (MNA PML-N) in Press Release: Discussion on Educational Institutions and Wings of Political Parties? in PU, Nov 17, 2008 http://www.pu.edu.pk/press/press_release-17-nov-08.asp

19

Butt, Iqbal Haider. National Survey on Student Politics, 2008, Gujranwala: Bargad, 2008. and Centre for Civic Education (CCE) Political Participation of Youth in Pakistan, Undated.

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CHAPTER 3: UNDERSTANDING STUDENT POLITICS

and Ghandi an st udent s opposed t o j oi n t he war. It wasul ti a y m tel t he A SCt hat led Indi a t o Independence. I The M u m Indi a di ver ged t o ot her directi on and de anded a sli m separat e st at e. Thi s was m aifested i n for a n m tion of t heAl l -I ndi a M u m St udent s Federati on( AI SF) i n 1937. Thi s st udent body sli M was an affiliated subsi di ar yo f t he A l Indi a M u m League li ke l sli t heir AI SC c ount er parts associ at ed wi t h t he I ndi an Nati onal Congress. Its goal was a separat e ho e m land for t he M u m s whi ch sli , was ulti a y achi eved i n August 1947. m tel AI SFs r ol e was s o m uch cr uci al, accor di ng t o S harif-ulM M u d, 20i t pr acticall y ser ved as a substit ut e t o t he provi nci al jahi M u m Leagues, whi ch wer e ri dden by personal and facti onal feuds sli m a ong t heir leaders. AI SFwa s a per pet ual bal anci ng and pr essur e M gr oup upon t he pr ovi nci al leaders for not cr ossi ng t hel i nes and co p m ising or gani zati onal agenda i. e. all ot en of part y ticket s m ro m t for t he 1946 el ecti ons. Thei r si gnificance also rose because Quai de- A m listened t o t he as he di d t o no ot her or gani zed group. za m St udent s wer e also i nstru e al i n shapi ng a pr ogressi vef ace t o t he m nt M u m League. For exa p t hey st aged a de onstrati on i n favour sli m le, m of the aboliti on of za indari (absent ee landl or di s ) wh en t he UP m m League W o i ng Co m ittee was m e rk m eting at A l ahabad i n 1945. l They also i nfl uenced t he Punj ab League t o dr a w up a progr essi ve m an ifest o. AI SF was a c o m u icati on l i nk bet w M m n een M u slim League leadershi p and t hem a sses. AI SF gr oo ed its vol unteers by est ablishi ng trai ni ngc a ps f or M m m el ecti on ca pai gni ng i n A gar h, Dacca, Cal cutta, Lahor e a nd m li Pesha w Onl y i n Punj ab there wer e over 2000 trai nedv ol unt eers ar. (1945). The success of ci vildi sobedi ence m o m en duri ng earl y ve ts 1947 i n Punj ab, N FP and Assa are largel y attri but ed t o t he W m AI SF 21I n short, it was t he st udent power on streets t hat present ed M . t hem a face of Paki st anm o m ent. ss ve20

3.1. H ISTORICAL C ASE OF PAKISTANH st ori cal case of st udent politics i n Paki st an pr esents four m a i jor cul inati ng poi nts of peri od when st udents consistentl y ca pai gned m m and t heir m a m oilizati onwa s strongl y felt i n t he political and ss b public life of t he country. Thesem ove en are: m ts The Paki st anm ove en m t The uprisi ng of 1968- 69 The A ghan w and f ar, The m ove en a gai nst i m p on of e ergency by m t ositi m Pr esi dent G eneralM u sharraf.

In pr e-i ndependence Paki st an, t he st udent politics has been lar gel y dri ven by nati onal parties a n d i t s i ncepti on was c a used by a m o m en r un o ut si de walls of t he c a puses, n a e t he ve t m m ly i ndependence m o m en agai nst t he British and f orm aki ng of ve t Paki st an. In undi vi ded Indi a, st udent m u scles wer e first shown i n t he er upti on of ca pus pr ot ests agai nst the British Si on Co m ission (1928), m m m whi ch vi sit ed I ndi a i n c onnecti on wi t h a ddr essi ng t he s elfgover n en of Indi ans. m t These pr ot ests contri but ed to w der i nt eracti ons a ong the st udent s i m and cul inated i nt o t he establish en of t he A l-India St udent s m m t l Federati on ( A SF) i n 1936. I The AI SF hel d a nati onalist agenda and was sol el y dedi cat ed t o t he i dea of i ndependence for Indi a fro t he British rul e. T hi s cor e m agenda of i ndependence consoli dat ed t he or gani zati on of st udent s under one banner. Ho wever,i t was seg ented by for ai on of t he m m t A l-Indi a St udent s Congress ( A SC on t he questi on of partici pati on l I ) i n t he Second W o W a The co m u ist st udents support ed t he rld r. m n decisi on of Sovi et Russi a t oe nt er i nt o t he war, whil e the soci alist

Mujahid, Sharif al. CHAPTERS FROM HISTORY: Students role in the Pakistan Movement. Daily Dawn, June 30, 200221

Ibid.

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The AI SF achi eved its singl e goal: Paki st an. W h it was done M en and t he politici ans beca ea ut horities i n ne w st at e the st udent m or gani zati on also began t o w her aw hit ay. The de ise of AI SF and its fail ure t o convert i nt o a pot ent and m M or gani zed f or ce i n t he n e w y bor n Paki st an st rengt hens t he l m ressi on t hat t his body wa s car ved out t o facilitat e t he outreach of i p politici ans who wer e least int erested i n de ocratic pot enti al of t he m st udent s. W ith t he deat h of its patron Quai d-e- A m , t he sit uati on za for or gani zed st udent s w reall y choked. as The st udent m o m en wasu n di vi ded i n earl y peri od of Paki st an ve t until t he affects of a col d wa r i ntroduced ne w or gani zati ons li ke t he Isla i Ja iat Tal aba ( D 1947) first for ed as Ta ir-i- A kar-im m ec m m f Isla i (1945), and D ocratic St udents Federati on (1950), etc. m m e For edunder t he i nfl uence of M au m lana M audodi and affiliat ed w t h i t he Ja aat-e-Isl a i fa ily IJT was rat her cor nered at the ti eof m m m , m its i ncepti on; as it al ong w t h ot her political-Isla ists had opposed i m t he creati on of Paki st an. M oeover, M au r lana M aududi had adopt ed an aggressi vel y hostile postur e agai nst t he leadershi p of t he ne w y l creat ed st at e. He bl a edt heM u m Leagues leadership for all t he m sli pr obl e s whi ch t he peopl ewer e faci ng at t hat ti e In 1948, he m m . expressed hi s contr oversersial vi e w regar di ng t he alliagiance t o t he s ne w st ate of Paki st an and legiti acy of partici pati on i n the Kash ir m m war. 22 Ho wever despit e hi s publ ic positi on a gai nst t he r uli ng part y, M au lana M audi di was wel l i n t ouch wi t h ( D eobandi) reli gi ous leaders associ at ed wi t h t he M u m League r egi e He ha d sli m . revi e w and suggest ed certai n changes t o t he dr aft ofo bj ecti ve ed resol uti on whi ch was sentt o hi m by M au lana Shabbir Ah ad m Us ani a nd M au m lan Zaf ar Ah ad Us ani whil e he was i n m m m rison i p m en i nM u jail.23 t ltan22

A t he ti e of for a t m m tion, t he foundi ng fat hers of IJTl i ke t heir el ders i n t he JI wer e l ooki ng i nt o a Dawa( pr eachi ng) rol e rat her t han political. The cont est o ver cl arit y of r ol es created fissures w t hi n t he JI duri ng its fa o A l Paki st an Conventi on in M a i m us l chchi Got h, a village i n di strict Rahi Yar Khan i n Febrauray 1957. It m resulted i n t he oust er of JIl eaders M au lana A in Ahsen Isl ahi, m M au lana Abdul Jabbar Gh azi, M au lana Abdul Ghaffar Hassan, Shei kh Sultan Hassan and other rebels who adhered to the ori gi nal i dea of D , and opposed JIs partici pati on t o politics. awa On t he ot her hand t he DSF, the st udent w ng of Co m u ist Part y of i m n Paki st an ( CPP), capit alized upon t he a git ati on of m igrant co m u it y yout h agai nst t he t uiti on fees, cost of educati on and lab m n and host el facilities, et c, in Kar achi. By 1952, it was also present i n Lahore, Fai sal abad, Ra wal pi ndi and ot her coll eges of Punj ab and had s w the st udent uni one l ecti ons nati onall y24. It alsof ounded ept an alliance of el ect ed st udent uni ons, t he I nt er- Coll egi at e Body (I CB )m a l y for st udent w in elfare and t o resol ve t he st udent issues. The e nt er prisi ng DSF c oul d have t hri ved i n t hem oderat e environ en of educati onal instit uti ons and presence of progressi ve m t educat ed cl asses i n Paki st an.Ho wever its m a ca et oh alt when rch m it was banned i n 1954 al ong w h its m o part y t heC P P. The it ther gover n en accused conni vance of t he CPP leadershi p w t h Gener al m t i Akbar Khan i n a failed Rawal pi ndi Conspiracy Case i n a bi d t o overt hr ow t he regi e DSFs fort ni ghtl y publi cati on t he Students m . Herald was also banned. M any sy p hi zers assert that t his ban was onl y an excuse under m at pressure fr o t he capit alist worl d - pr acticall y t he US t o m offi ci all y pr ohi bit and persecut t he bot h co m u ist outfits. They m n had no for a links w t h coterie of Ge n. Akbar. Ho wever t he eyem l i w t ness r evel ati ons m ade aft er a l apse of 53 years b y s e ni or i co m u ist Pr of. Kha waj a M a i n 2008 have endorsed t hat t he m n sud CPP w act uall y i nvol ved in t he failed coup. 25 as24

See issues of Tarajumanul Quran [May 1947, pp. 64-65; June 1948, pp. 69-79; 11-12 August 1948, pp. 5-12; and June 1948, pp. 60-67] as cited in Ghous, Ghulam (2001), p.4.23

Ahmed, S. Haroon & Asmi, Saleem. Student movement revisited, Daily Dawn: Karachi, 5 April 2008.25

Tazkirah, vol. 3, p.50 as cited in Ghous, Ghulam (2001), p.17.

Awami Jamhori Forum. Interview Khawaja Masud, Issue No. 45, pp. 19-31.

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The i p m licati ons of t he R a w pi ndi Conspiracy Case h a ve f ar al reachi ng effects upon pr ogressi ve st udent m o m en e s peci all y ve ts t hose whi ch wer e i p m ressedb y the revol uti on i n Sovi etRus si a. I n t he ensui ng years t hey coul dn ever recover. They we nt under gr ound and wor ked under banners of differentm a instrea political parties. m The cl andasti ne wor ki ng of co m u ists m ade t he host age t o m n m paranoi a, or gani zati onal opacit y, narr owness and a coll ecti ve st at e of suspi ci on over ever yt hi nga idst fears of bei ng i nfiltrat ed by t he m st at e agents. Thi s i nt er nal at o m sphere also caused riftsu pon rifts m a ong t he co m u ist groups. m n A t hough DSF m ade a co e back i n t he late 1970s but it was i n l m practice onl y the m e o of DSF. The lat er br ands of pr ogr essi ve m ry st udent m o m en m o ve t stly adhered t o t he s oci alist i deol ogy of Chi na, anti-Indi a ca p gn and populist radi calis i.e. t he NSF, t he m ai m NS O a nd t he pr ogressi ve el e en of PSF i nspired by Shei kh m ts Rashi d Ah ed Seni or V cePr esi dent of PPP and popul arl y called m , i t he B abi-a-Socialism( Fat her of Soci alis ). m A t achi ng hi gh val ue t o t he Cal cutta decisi on of CPI (M arch 6, t 1948) t o decl are Paki st an r i pe f or r evol uti on a nd l at er t he co m u ist pl ot ( R w pi ndi Conspiracy Case) t o overt hr ow t he m n a al gover n en anal ysts li ke Aa ir R az26t er it as a t urni ng poi nt of m t, m i m t he de ise of (pr o- USSR progressi vem ove en i n Pakistan. m ) m t Rat her t han positi vel y c ontri buti ng t o t he nascent s t at e, t he co m u ists over-a b m n m itiously cl ashed w t h t he est ablish ent and i m i nf uri at ed t he political ands oci al struct ures of t he countr y. Thi s poli cy of c onflicti ng wi t h t he st at e a nd e ven i ntellect uall y chall engi ng i t s l egiti acyt o e xi st ca e under t he c ol d war m m environ en It was i n li ne w t h t he t hi nki ng of Co m ui st Part y of m t. i m n Indi a ( CPI) and t he nati onal leadershi p of CPP whi ch even i p m orted its t op brass fro Indi a i.e. Sajj ad Zaheer t he CPP general secret ar y m and Hassan Nasir t he central co m ittee m e b et c. Because of m m er, t he ori ent ati on of t hese leaders, t he co m u ists wer e t hought as a m n risk t o t he securit y of t he Paki st ani stat e, A irm a tai ns. m a in26

Thi s vi e w of t he co m u ists bei ng creat ors of t heir own troubl es m n defi es popul arl y hel d opi nion a ong t he pr ogressi ve lot t hat t he m ruli ng elite wer e unhappy wit h popul arit y of t he e e m rging st udent m o m en M o so, because it had deci ded t o tilt t owar ds t he ve t. re Unit ed St at es and ent er i nto m ilitary pacts such as SEATO and CENTO 27 . Putti ng bl a e onl y on st at e r epressi on i s al so t o deny s elfm questi oni ng. It is t he fail ure of i nt ernal anal ysis and poli ci es and i nabilit y t o r ealize or gani zati onal li itati ons. Thi s t rend, as a m general obser vati on, runs t hrough m any exa p acr oss political m les di vi des and duri ng different eras i n Pakist an. In case of st udent politics t hat can also be obser ved i n the i nabilit y t o devi se a politics t hat is di rectl y li nked wi t h educati on and acti vities i n li ne w t h t he prim a i rym andat e of ca puses t he st udi es m and learni ng. Anot her i p m ortant or gani zati on t he Nati onal St udent s Federati on ( NSF) was f or ed i n 1956. M a y practiti oners and anal ysts, m jorit i ncl udi ng its founders, are convi nced it was first created by t he regi eto count er infl uence of DSF and t he or gani zed co m u ists m m n w t hi n ca puses. Its earlierl eader Hussai n Na qi tells that soon it i m was realized by t he est ablishm en t hat t he NSF w also a sore. 28 t as NSF was t he key st udent organi zati on t hat also led the uprisi ng of late 1968- 69. One m u howe ver m en on that at m anyo c casi ons st ti bot h t he ri ghtist and leftist student or gani zati ons j oi ned hands on t he questi on of opposi ng di ct at orshi p of Ge n. Ayub Khan a nd hi s educati on polici es i e. SharifCo m issi on Report (1959),u ni versit y m ref or s t hrough Uni versit yAct ( Nov 1963) and i ntroducti on of m t hree years graduat e degree pr ogra (1968). m The uprisi ng of t he 1968- 69 was spar ked by t he m ishandli ng of st udent s of Gor don Coll ege Ra wal pi ndi by t he Cust o saut horities m whil e t hey wer e ret urni ng fro t heir vi sit t o Landi Kot ali n Khyber m27

Ahmed, S. Haroon & Asmi, Saleem (2008) Interview, The News on Sunday, The News international, 17 June 2007.

Interview of Author with Aamir Riaz, 18 Nov 2009.

28

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Agency. Lal Khan29 h as pr oduced det ails of t hese e vent s and repr oduced di spat ches of Br itish di pl o a i n Paki st an on ho w t he m ts m a agit ati on er upt ed. Ou r i nt er vi e w wi t h Per vai z Rashi d t hen ss pr ovi nci al presi dent of t he NSF and hi self a st udent of the Gor don m Coll ege is also testi ony t o the i ncepti on of uprisi ng. m The l at e 1960s ar e i p ant i n t he s ense t hat t hi s caused m ort pr oliferati on of st udent politics and or gani zati ons. Politics confi ned t o dra w ng roo s, as we popul arl y say, of t he elite and so estreet i m m acti vis by uni ons affiliat ed w t h i deol ogi cal outfits out bound t o m i t he m a sses. M any ne w st udent or gani zati ons li ke t he Pe opl es St udent s Federati on ( PSF), Bal och St udent s Or gani zation ( BSO ), Pukht oon St udent s Federati on ( PkSF), Anj u an Tal aba-e-Isla m m ( ATI), Ja iat Tal aba-e-Isl am (JT Inqal abi M ahaz-e- Tal aba (I T m I), M ) and Nati onalist St udents Or gani zati on ( NSO ca ei nt ob ei ng i n a ) m transiti on fro li ited de ocracy t o m a partici pati onof citi zens m m m ss i n politics at t he nati onal level. Aft er t he Gen. Ayub er a, the m o si gnificant event s of st udent st politics can be su m a m rizeda s (i) t he st udents m ilitantr ol e i n an Ar yOper ati on i n t he t hen East Paki st an, and (ii) t heir leadi ng r ol e m t o t he ext ent of s ubstit ution of t he oppositi on political parti es agai nst t he Zulfi qar A Bhutt o gover n en li m t. The IJT for ed t w m ilitiasn a ely t he A - Sha sand A - Badr t o m o m l m l fi ght al ong t he ar y t o cur b s ecessi oni st i nsur gency i n East m Paki st an. Gen. ( Ret d.) Rao Far an A i Khan as a pri ar y source m l m m a tai ns t hat t hese pr o- Paki st an forces wer e funded thr ough t he in i ndustrialists and busi ness e 30 m n. In t he Bhutt o era, t he oppositi on was sy bo m lized by t he st udent leaders cl ai s Javed Has hm i i n hi s aut obi ography, Mein Baghi m Hoon He was t hen t he IJT l eader, lat er co- opt ed as a f ederal . m in ister i n t he cabi net of Gen. Zi a whil e he was stilla st udent leader and pr esentl y is oneof t he key figures of Pakistan M u m sli League ( N waz). a2930

Bhutt o peri od was a c harged er a r egar di ng st udent politics. Pr ogressi ve politics was di vi ded a ong pr ovi nci al a r eas of m i nfl uence: NSF i n Kar achi; SST, SPAF & DSF i n i nt eri or Si ndh; BS O i n Bal ochi st an, PkSF in N FP whil e NS O i n Punjab. On t he W ot her hand aft er 1971, JI and IJT attract ed anti-bhutt o senti en i n m ts especi all y t he central Punj ab regi on. Anot her m a t ur n t o st udent politics ca ew t h t he Afghan war. jor m i St udent s and yout h wer e recruited t o wa ge t he war and the IJ T was m a i nstru en t o gai n political support for t he war. This was al so in m t t he peri od of bl oody st udentcl ashes, qabza gr oups and tot al contr ol upon ca puses by one gr oup or t he ot her dependi ng upon l ocati on. m The gover n en bi d t o discredit its de ocratic oppositi on and m ts m m o specificall y t he PPP resulted i n rise of pr ovi nci al, regi onal or re par ochi al politics i n ca puses i n whi ch di spl ay of fire arm sbeca e m m a routi ne and vi ol ence i n cam p uses a nor . m The rise of AP SO i n Kar achi, nati onalist el e en i not her parts M m ts of t he countr y and or gani zati ons li ke t he M S and IJTi n Punj ab F ent agl ed t he selves i n a p er pet ual cl ash over oc cupati on of m ca puses. m Thi s vi ol ence was qualitati vel y different fro skir ishes bet w m m een ri val st udents i n t he previ ous eras w h t he advent of sophi sti cat ed it fire ar s D Kai ser Bengali ar gues t hat t he onus of responsi bilit y m . r. lies upon t he aut horities t hatwer e responsi bl e for i nt er nal securit y, whose dut y it was t o ensure t hat illegal ar s do not e nt er t he m country and do not beco eavail abl e i n covert m a places i n t he m rket country. They m ai nt ai ned s ur veillance a cti vities o f a ntiest ablish en st udent l eaders, but failed t o noti ce t he cr eepi ng m t pr oliferati on of ar s on ca puses. 31 m m The st udent uni ons wer e subsequentl y banned by M a rtial l a w notificati on i n 1984. It is ar gued t hat t he ban pr acticall y rati onali zed occupati on of st udent organizati ons and gr oups over ca puses. m

K Lal, Pakistans Other Story: The 1968-69 Revolution, pp. 127-134 han, Khan, Gen (R.) Rao Farman Ali. How Pakistan Got Divided?,31

Lahore: Jang Publishers.

Butt, Iqbal Haider. National Survey on Student Politics, 2008, p. 5.

BARGAD-4 1

BARGAD-4 2



On 1 J ul y, 1992, ever y student and hi s parents/ guardi an wer e bound by t he Supr e eCour t of Pakist an t o gi ve an undert aki ng at m t he ti eof ad issi ons not t o i ndul ge i n politics. m m The Supre eCourt furt her banned all st udent uni ons on 10 M a m rch 1993. A t hough t he pr esent govern ent has announced t o liftt he ban on l m st udent politics, yet i t s notificati on i s still pendi ng a nd b y pr ocedural st andar ds t he announce en of lifti ng ban m ight be a m t political i nt ent but not an acti on i pm en m le ted. The bano n st udent politics is still operati ve. Ho wever t he legalit y of lifting a ban is tricki er t han it see s If we m . recall t he ban (Int eri Or derJ ul y 1992 and t hen M a 1993) it was m rch m osed by t he Supr e eCourt ( .Is a Qur eshi & others vs M . i p m M m il Owai s Qasi , Secret ary General Isl a i Ja iat-i- Tal aba Paki st an m m m and 3 ot hers 1993 SC R1781). It was a partial and subtle ban. The M court di d

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Student Politics in Pakistan