LAHORE: After 21 days, activists of the Progressive Student Collective (PSC) on Wednesday packed up their sit-in camp on The Mall outside the Punjab Assembly.

Students demand the revival of the student union in the province, and for this cause, they started the sit-in on Feb 9.

The ban on students’ unions was imposed in 1984 during the regime of military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq. It was lifted during the Benazir Bhutto-led PPP’s first government in 1989, but in 1993 the Supreme Court put a blanket ban on political activities by students on campuses.

The Sindh Assembly has unanimously passed the Sindh Students Union Bill of 2019 paving the way for the restoration of students’ unions in educational institutions after over 38 years on Feb 12.

The PSC demand the revival of unions, and the withdrawal of an affidavit they are asked to sign at the time of admission, pledging to stay away from political activities. Their other demands include a free health facility, 50 per cent of concession in transport fares on student cards and anti-harassment committees with equal membership of female students.

They also demanded the release of the student activists and teachers subjected to forced disappearances all over the country, withdrawal of Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) from all educational institutes, the inclusion of third gender category in admission forms to ensure implementation of Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, the establishment of universities, including Baba Fareed University in Pakpattan, and withdrawal of the recent increase in fees.

One of the protesters, Ali Raza, told Dawn that no one from the government representative visited them and the sit-in was concluded because there was no session of the assembly being held till next month.

He said MPAs Hassan Murtaza, and Hina Pervaiz Butt submitted resolutions for the revival of the student unions and also participated in their protest.

He said the protest would resume soon after the session of the assembly would be called.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2022