KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI)-run town administrations have provided eight buses to the University of Karachi to help address students’ transportation difficulties.
The buses were handed over at a ceremony held on Thursday, where JI Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman presented the keys to Karachi University Vice Chancellor Dr Wasim Qazi. Hafiz Naeem also announced that 10 more buses would be provided to the university next year.
Speaking at the event, the JI chief said nearly 30,000 students were facing inadequate transport facilities and stressed the need for greater attention to improving the university’s infrastructure and student services.
He praised the performance of nine town administrations, saying they had delivered results despite limited authority and resources. He added that local governments lacked basic powers over essential services, including water supply and sanitation.
Recalling the university’s former transport arrangements, Hafiz Naeem said Karachi University once operated 125 buses during the period when the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) had a student union.
He called for the restoration of students’ constitutional right to establish unions, arguing that student representation was necessary to improve the education system. He said student unions had been banned in educational institutions across the country since 1984.
The JI chief also voiced concern over the declining condition of several university departments, attributing their deterioration to a lack of institutional attention.
Describing education as a key priority for his party, he announced plans to launch a nationwide campaign to promote education. He urged citizens from all walks of life to join efforts to raise their voices for their rights.
Criticising the Sindh government, Hafiz Naeem alleged that corruption and systemic failures were hampering provincial development. He also questioned the government’s policies on the petroleum levy, which he said placed a heavy burden on consumers.
Commenting on international demonstrations against Israel’s war on Gaza, he noted that people in European countries had also taken to the streets to protest against what he described as atrocities against Palestinians.
Meanwhile, students from Karachi University’s School of Law have approached the Sindh High Court, seeking the restoration of student unions at the institution.
The petition names the chief secretary, relevant provincial secretaries dealing with universities and boards, colleges and law, as well as the university’s vice chancellor and registrar, as respondents.
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