The Muslim Students Federation (MSF) activists, who are now active to manage the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) rallies in the province, are annoyed with their leadership over not considering their basic demand of ‘regaining the control of the historic MAO College Lahore’. The MSF activists said the MAO College was the headquarters of MSF, but the current administration had allegedly set up a wing of Insaf Students Federation (ISF) at the college, while their leadership was silent over the issue. They claimed that various student wings were active in other institutions, but they (party leaders) were not willing to allow the MSF wing at the MAO College despite the fact that they had working hard for the PML-N. The members of MSF, who are a major tool of PML-N to counter the ISF which helped gathering thousands of youth around Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, says despite fact that the PML-N government in the province, the PTI’s student is present in the MAO College.
It is important to mention here that the MSF was active around the country in the past elections to campaign for the PML-N. In Lahore, the MSF activists from the Dayal Singh and MAO colleges actively supported and participated in the PMLN rallies in Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. These MSF activists were trying to get the attention of Punjab CM Mian Shahbaz Sharif, who according to them, was annoyed with them due to the shifting affiliations, when the PML-N government was dissolved by Pervez Musharraf in 1999, as the MSF activists switched to the PML-Q in the absence of Sharif Brothers. But after their return in 2007, the MSF activists again tried to get the sympathies of the PML-N leadership and also sought the support of the party’s local parliamentarians, who also were the former MSF activists, but the CM is still reluctant to accommodate them.
In 2007, the MAO College was vacated from the MSF activists with the help of police and they are still out of the college, although they tried several times to enter in the college but could not get control over there.
According to Sunny Prince, the MAO College chief of MSF, said it was a tragedy that the party leadership was not considering their demands although they always supported them, adding that they remained active in the movements, including that for the restoration of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. He said the MSF was the oldest student organisation of the country and it participated in the freedom movement of the country. He alleged that the recently appointed Principal Dr Farhan Abadat Khan and his team had established the wing of ISF at the college.
But MAO College Principal Dr Farhan said being a teacher, he should be impartial and neutral and there was no ISF or any other student wing active in the college. “Before joining the college, I clearly told the government officials that I will not accept any political pressure.” He said there were a number of issues at college and he was streamlining the whole system after taking charge last month, but some elements with vested interests were involved in the propaganda.
He said the MAO College had become a disciplined institution, where students wanted to study, adding that he was facing threats from some, but he would continue his struggle. He said around six thousand students were enrolled in various programmes of the college.
