Speakers at the conference on role of political parties and their affiliated political wing, organised by Punjab University have said that there should be regular elections of students union as it will produce middle class leadership emerging from the universities.
They also said that the political parties should sit together and All Parties' sessions could be called to decide about the code of conduct for the student unions elections to avoid any physical violence. 'We should accept the conflicting thoughts with patience,' they said.
The Naib Amir, of Jamat-e-Islami (JI), Liaquat Baloch has said that they used to solve their differences through negotiation and with the help of leaders of the opponent political groups. Ealier, there was no element of violence in the student politics. He said that the rulers have millions of dollars of foreign currency accounts and they were expecting that others should invest in the country.
He said that God has blessed Pakistan with lots of natural resources and there is a need to chanalise these resources. Baloch further said that the establishment doesn't want the middle class leadership to emerge because, this will block the ways of rule of military dictatorship.
About the president-elect of America, Barak Obama's message to the world that American nation is united, he said our leadership should also give a message to the world that we are united without any difference of class or creed. He demanded that the government should take practical steps to stop the US bombing in the tribal areas.
The MNA Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N), Khawja Saad Rafique said that students should use all their energies towards education. He further suggested that political parties should form youth organisation but not the students' wings.
The Naim Amir also said that the affiliated political wings of the political parties are responsible for bringing violence to the campuses. 'We should bury the politics of compromises and restore judiciary,' he stated. Further, he also said that we should implement charter of democracy and demanded reforms in the procedure of student union elections.
Speaking to the occasion, the Chairman, Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf, Imran Khan said that his mission is to politicise the youth of Pakistan as any person without political thoughts is animal. He said that he visited universities to win the support of the young people for the restoration of deposed Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry because he believes in the independence of judiciary.
Talking about foreign investment in the country, he said six million Pakistani expatriates have 200 billion dollars in the foreign exchange, they will happily invest in Pakistan, if provided with safety and only then we would not need the support of International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Further, Imran said that physical force should not be used for solving their difference rather the atmosphere should be in favour of holding intellectual debate to find out solution to the problems relating to the students. Imran said that a police official told me that 50-60 percent of the arrested people in Pakistani Jails is innocent.
Labelling the Chief of Muttahida Qumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain a criminal, he condemned the meeting of leaders of different parties with the MQM Chief. The Secretary General of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jahangir Badar stressed on the need of political training for the students so that they could handle national leadership actively in future.
He said that calling an All Parties Conference (APC) could solve the issue of the wings of political parties and all political parties should announce elimination of their wings from the universities. He said there must be pure educational atmosphere on the campuses and any student willing to take part in politics, should join youth wing of any party but this politics should be outside the university.
The PML-N leader, Javed Hashmi said that Pakistan needed students' organisations to save the country from any threat, as these were needed at the time Pakistan's birth. He said politics in university must be for the betterment of the university and this was not possible without a code of conduct.
Hasmi emphasised upon establishing a proper code of conduct for student unions. He also claimed to be the proud son of Punjab University, which has produced great politicians. Renowned journalist, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami said student union is a basic right of students however there should only be non-political student unions in the educational institutions.
He said and they should be given this right so that after completing education, students could play their role in the development of country. The VC PU, Dr Mujahid Kamran said that PU is the oldest and largest institution and it is right of PU that high leadership of the country should visit the campuses here.
Furthermore, 'This world is like a war field where there is battle among nations and only those nations succeed, who have courageous leaders,' he said adding that the students should focus on their studies, which is there primary objective.