Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday asked his party-led governments in Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to lift the decades-old ban on student unions and allow them to participate in healthy democratic activities for preparation of their future role in the national politics. He also asked the two governments to make appropriate legislation and rules in this regard.
Bilawal made this call during his meeting with a delegation of party’s student wing, the People’s Students’ Federation (PSF), from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the Zardari House.
The PPP chief said that the three decades-old ban on student unions was part of the disastrous legacy of military dictator Ziaul Haq and it must be banished as early as possible. The PPP, he said, must take a lead in illuming the path in this respect.
Bilawal said he was happy that the Senate had also taken up the issue recently. “While it is commendable that the Senate is deliberating on it, I urge the PPP governments in Sindh and AJK to take appropriate measures to lift the ban on student unions,” he added.
The PPP chief said that removing this ban would promote democratic culture and even encourage promotion of an environment of discussion, debate and tolerance. “Democratic traditions in the country will make gains if discussion and debate as part of the democratic culture was also promoted in the academic institutions,” he opined.
According to senior PPP leader Senator Farhatullah Babar, the PSF was one of the six delegations that called on Bilawal Friday evening as part of his political stock-taking in the federal capital focusing on party matters in KPK and FATA. Earlier, delegations of lawyers, youth, labour, minority and women from PPP’s KPK chapter called on the party chief.
Addressing the delegates, Bilawal said the PPP was an ideological party and “together we will dispel the fears that it was deviating from its ideological moorings”. “Let me make it clear that the PPP’s ideology will be the force to motivate, drive, lead and inspire the workers, students, peasants, labourers, teachers and general public,” he remarked.
Bilawal said that losing or wining an election did not matter as much as adherence to ideological principles did. “It was our ideology that enabled us to fight the dictatorial rules of Zia and Musharraf. We must struggle for our cause and for our principles; we will,” concluded the PPP chief.
Publish my comments if nothing found abusive or unethical. I am very discouraged with this trend.
I think lifting of ban on students unions is not as urgent a subject as is fighting rampant corruption in the province, ensuring equitable distribution of province wealth among the population and providing equal opportunities of progress to all in every walk of life..
Not a very good decision and I think this is not among some major issues, but there must be proper planning on the various activities, which are used to ruined students education activities.
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