The HEC Crisis (Part II)

On the one hand, students are forced to learn in an environment that is not conducive to critical thinking and the development of professional expertise, both of which are needed for success on the job market. On the other hand, since 1984 when Student Unions were banned by the Zia-ul-Haq regime, students have grown accustomed to a depoliticized space where their ethnic identities take precedence over their identity as students. While this is not a problem per se, it becomes so when this ethnic politics via councils leads to such a division of students that they are unable to become a representative and organized force of students either on campus or in society at large.

It is only through the restoration of student unions that students will learn to work collectively for their rights. Furthermore, it is through this engagement with democratic processes that these ideals will spread throughout society, contributing to a more tolerant and progressive society. This is especially important in the context that student unions will serve as a training ground of democratic proxies for Pakistan’s future leaders.