ISLAMABAD, May 28: The students of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) on Monday re-started their protest against expulsion of their 11 fellow students and shut down most of the classrooms and dean offices. They threatened to continue their protest for an indefinite period and start a hunger strike in case their demand to reinstate the students was not met.

On the other hand, the management of the university has taken the Islamabad capital territory administration into confidence and is considering establishing a police station on the campus in case the issue is not resolved amicably, it has been learnt.

The 11 student leaders were expelled by the QAU disciplinary committee earlier in the month after the students while protesting lack of facilities on the campus disrupted an international conference at the university.

On Sunday night, hundreds of students set up a camp at the main bus stand of the university and locked classrooms and dean offices.

The students acknowledged that they had overstepped their right to peaceful protest on April 27 and agreed to approach the syndicate to apologise and request reinstatement of their colleagues. However, they claimed that the university administration, the vice chancellor in particular, deliberately delayed the syndicate meeting.

On the other hand, a senior official of the QAU said most of the syndicate members had gone abroad with the prime minister due to which the meeting could not be held.

“Now it has been decided that the syndicate will meet on June 2 and discuss the reinstatement of the students,” he said.

The students also criticised the bullying tactics of the administration including the locking up of girls hostels from outside to prevent female students from taking part in the protest.

“On Sunday night, a police team also came to the university and threatened the protesting students with arrest,” added one student.

With the university classes scheduled to end at the end of next week, any prolonged dispute between the two sides could badly affect the academic calendar and graduating batches of students. Ishtiaq Qureshi, one of the expelled students, said Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Dr Aitzaz, Dr Wasim and others came to the protest camp on Monday evening and said they would fight the case of the students if they called off the protest. “But we told them that we will start a hunger strike because the students don’t trust the management.”

When contacted, Vice Chancellor Masoom Yasinzai said the management had already informed the students that it would follow the decision of the syndicate but they want to get their demands fulfilled by force.

“We have taken the ICT administration into confidence which has assured us of its cooperation. We don’t want to set up a police station in the university as students have the rights to protest peacefully but if they resort to halting academic activities and the shuttle service, we will have no other option.”

He said 98 per cent of the students wanted to study and a very few are protesting. “We have sent notices and copies of FIRs to their houses but not a single parent has bothered to contact us,” the VC said.