Hundreds of students of Islamic International University Islamabad (IIUI) along with lawyers, civil society representatives, journalists, and other student organizations have protested in front of the National Press Club.
Organized by the Islamic Students Alliance, the protest was against the unjust eviction and transfer of over 4000 students from IIUI hostels. The protest condemned the university administration for emptying the student hostels and hundreds of rooms without permission.
The university suddenly issued a notice in August giving hostel students only three days to vacate their rooms. With this sudden decision, chaos spread among all the students who went home during the summer vacation, and the belongings of the students who could not return on time were confiscated by the administration.
In this regard, Ali Shan Tarar, a student, said that without any proper justification, the summer semester was shifted online and thousands of students were left without any accommodation. Because of this, they were forced to find accommodation outside the university.
Student leader Zeeshan Khawaja expressed his disappointment and said that we pay money for the hostel seats but the administration evicted us without considering our welfare. The belongings of hundreds of students were confiscated by the university and now we are forced to live outside on our own while the federal capital is not conducive to housing students.
He added that apart from this eviction, the university administration has demanded additional charges for electricity, gas, and transport which were already included in the semester fee.
Student leader Umeer Malik criticized the move saying that these extra monthly charges are not only unfair but also clear proof of the management’s failure to run the university. We demand that these charges be dropped immediately.
Umeer Malik further said that the administration has significantly reduced the admissions, which has reduced the number of new admissions from 200 to only 50 in many departments.
Student Rajesh Kumar said that the university is being run by a failed administration. They are reducing admissions and hiring visiting faculty, threatening our academic future. The students raised several demands, including ending the illegal occupation of hostel rooms and priority seating for freshers and final-year students.
The protesters also demanded the restoration of seats for students who have paid their fees and an end to transferring students to different hostels or rooms without any charge. The IIUI administration has also been criticized for suppressing the voices of students.
Addressing the students, student Asad Jota said that any student who raises a complaint is threatened with expulsion or reminded that he had signed an affidavit not to participate in political activities. We will not remain silent, the students demand the restoration of the union and their rights.
