Two petitions were filed in the Supreme Court to contest the longstanding ban on student unions in the educational institutions in Pakistan. One of these petitions was filed by Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba represented by barrister Zafarullah Khan , and the other by Hamza Khawaja , a student leader from LUMS, represented by barrister Umer Ijaz Gillani . Although, these petitions were initially returned with objections, they have now been scheduled for hearing by the SC after the objections were resolved.
The ban on the student unions was legitimised by SC through a 1993 verdict in the case of M. Ismail Qureshi vs. Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba Secretary General M. Owais Qasim, which prohibited student unions from affiliating with political parties and barred students from participating in university policymaking bodies.
Ever since the ban , it has been opposed by various sections of the society who argue that campus politics serve as a breeding ground for cultivating future leadership and making the youth of the country politically literate. This restriction is also blamed for the prevailing leadership crisis in the political landscape of the country.
Therefore, this petition holds significance for the political and social landscape of the country as it represents an opportunity to address decades of political stagnation and include the youth of the country in the political leadership with with constructive regulations.
