QAU students protest fines, lack of facilities

Hundreds of students, residing in Quaid-i-Azam University’s hostels, on Friday morning locked its main gates, preventing students and faculty members from entering the varsity premises, in a protest against what they called unsustainable fines and the substandard facilities being provided to them.
After locking the main gate, the protesting students burnt tyres and raised slogans against the varsity administration. The students also badly disturbed the inauguration session of an international conference titled ‘Emerging issue of Social Sciences in Pakistan’, being held at the QAU.
The inaugural session of the conference was underway at the varsity’s Earth Science Auditorium when the angry students pelted stone on the window of the hall, compelling the administration to call off the conference before its schedule time.
Federal Law Minister Farooq H Naek was the chief guest of the conference, however, due to the students’ protest he didn’t turn up.
The protesting students were of the view that they were deprived of quality services at the campus. They also protested against the non-arrest of a bus driver who crashed a student a couple of weeks ago. The students demanded immediate arrest of the bus driver who killed their fellow student.
Carrying placards in their hands, the protesting students also stage a demo outside the varsity where they burned tyres and blocked the road for all kinds of traffic. A heavy contingent of the Islamabad police rushed to the scene to control the protesting students.
Sources said QAU Vice Chancellor Dr Masoom Yasinzai ordered the closure of the university for six days. Now it will reopen on May 4. However, the university spokesman said, the VC had not ordered closure of the university. However, scheduled holidays had caused the closure of the varsity for several days.
Due to the strike, all educational activities remained suspended throughout the day in the QAU. The protesting students were of the view that without any justification, the administration had been raising fine amounts while they were being provided substandard and costly food at the university’s mess and cafeteria.
“We are being forced to pay for an amount of food we do not get,” said Nawaz Khan, a post-graduation student.On the complaint of the university campus manager, the Secretariat police lodged an FIR against 13 nominated students for creating the law and order situation at the campus, blocking roads and breaking window panes of the university.