Dozens of students were arrested at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) in Islamabad on Tuesday after they reportedly refused to vacate their hostels. The university administration had ordered students to vacate hostels for maintenance work, with the police intervening to enforce the eviction.
In a dramatic early morning raid on Tuesday, the Islamabad police arrested between 55 to 60 students from hostels number 6, 8, 9, and 11 at Quaid-i-Azam University. The arrests came after students reportedly ignored multiple directives from the university administration to vacate their hostels by July 13 for scheduled maintenance work during the summer break.
The administration claimed that the majority of students had complied with the directive, but some remained in the hostels, prompting the final eviction. The university had provided multiple deadlines to the students, who were eventually evicted when they failed to vacate by the final deadline.
The university administration sought legal assistance from the police to handle the situation. The police confirmed that they acted at the request of the university and ensured that legal steps were taken for the eviction process. As part of the raid, the students who resisted were shifted to the Secretariat Police Station.
Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir reported that as many as 72 students had been arrested during the operation. Speaking to Geo News, Mazari-Hazir emphasized that efforts were underway to resolve the issue, and a meeting with the Vice Chancellor was being arranged to discuss the students’ concerns.
In response to the student protests, the Vice Chancellor’s office was locked, with the administration stating that the VC Secretariat had been closed in light of the ongoing protests.
This incident has sparked debates over student rights and university administration policies, with students demanding better communication and more flexible timelines for accommodation issues. As tensions rise, the future resolution of the situation remains uncertain.
