Student union members from the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science, and Technology (FUUAST) organized a protest condemning the administration’s decision to suspend their admissions.
FUUAST administration imposed a ban on student unions in May 2024, and threatened to cancel enrollments if students did not cease union activities. The students strongly opposed the ban following which the university cancelled enrollments of students who were union members, and several FIRs were launched against students.
During the demonstration, the students expressed their grievances, stating that they were protesting against the violation of their rights. They claimed that FUUAST officials had threatened to jeopardise their future unless they disbanded the student unions.
They demanded the immediate lifting of the ban on student unions, the revocation of admission suspensions, and the cancellation of FIRs lodged against students involved in union activities.
It’s important to highlight that in February 2022, the Sindh Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill aiming to reintroduce student unions throughout educational institutions across the province. Student unions operate as official entities operating within a structured framework, focusing on addressing various student concerns on campus.
However, education institutes in disregard of this bill continue to ban union activities on campus. Earlier the Karachi University had banned their student union activities after a major fight broke out between two rival groups.