LAHORE: The Progressive Students Collective organized the Students Solidarity March Friday, commencing from Government College University Lahore and concluding at the Punjab Assembly.
The march garnered active participation from thousands of students, both male and female, along with professors and leaders from various universities in Lahore, and representatives from political and social movements.
Key demands of the march included the revival of student unions, an end to the neglect of education, the establishment of anti-harassment committees on campuses, the release of missing students, and the provision of clean water and other essential facilities on campuses.
An essential element of the march was the expression of solidarity with Palestine.
It is important to note that the Students Solidarity March is an annual nationwide event. This year, the march was also held in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Jamshoro with active participation from students in local cities.
Beginning at 4:00 AM, the march reached the Punjab Assembly at 4:00 PM, where the Artist Assembly, a sub-organization of the Progressive Students Collective, delivered a performance that elicited enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Addressing the gathering, Central Secretary General Haris Azad of the Progressive Students Collective stated that students were already grappling with challenges such as fee hikes, forced disappearances, and harassment. However, inflation and rising prices have intensified the crisis, making it difficult for students not only to pay fees but also to afford basic necessities like food.
He emphasized that the government has failed to take concrete steps to address these issues; instead, it has shamelessly initiated a campaign of privatization, exacerbating the crisis.
He expressed confidence that these rights will not be granted automatically but can be achieved through united student efforts, with the crucial platform being the Student Union, which has been banned by the state for the past 30 years. Therefore, an immediate demand was made to lift the ban on student unions.
Reena Wazir of the Progressive Students Collective stated that Pakistan is currently facing a crisis from all perspectives. She emphasized that education is becoming prohibitively expensive, limiting access to university education to a small segment of society.
Therefore, the demand was made to make education completely free, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to progress regardless of their background.
She further highlighted the issue of harassment in universities, stating that harassment committees are not active in most universities, and where they exist, there is a lack of justice.
Therefore, the demand was made to establish harassment committees on every campus with guaranteed representation for female students.
Ali Abdullah Khan, the central spokesperson of the Progressive Students Collective, stated that they express complete solidarity with Palestine and demand that the state support and cooperate with Palestinians on all levels.
He emphasized that the struggle in Palestine is not limited to that region but is a global anti-imperialist struggle.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023