On Tuesday morning, police in the federal capital arrested dozens of students at Quaid-i-Azam University during an early morning raid on campus hostels. The arrests were made following a complaint from the university administration.
The university administration completely vacated hostels number 6, 8, 9, and 11, with 55 to 60 students being arrested and subsequently transferred to the Secretariat Police Station.
Providing details of the operation, the administration stated that students had been directed to vacate the hostels by July 13 to allow for maintenance work scheduled during the summer vacations. They noted that a large number of students had already complied, while others were given multiple deadlines before eventually being evicted after the final deadline expired.
Expanding on the matter, the Islamabad police confirmed that “legal assistance was provided at the request of the university administration.” They added that while 11 hostels had been vacated, four remained occupied, leading to the university’s complaint about students illegally residing in these buildings. The police further stated that students who “resisted this peaceful process” have been moved from the hostels, and legal action will be pursued based on the university’s written request.
Meanwhile, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir claimed that as many as 72 students had been taken into custody from the university. Speaking to Geo News outside the police station, Mazari-Hazir said, “We are going to meet the vice chancellor so that the issues can be resolved.”
Furthermore, in view of the student protest, the Vice Chancellor’s Office has been locked. The university’s administration confirmed, “The VC Secretariat has been closed due to the student protest.”
