Students at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), led by Inam Tareen, Chairman of the Pakhtun Council and student federation leader, have strongly demanded the immediate reversal of a recent notification closing university hostels and cancelling the summer session. The students asserted that these decisions taken by the acting Vice Chancellor were unilateral and could severely impact the academic careers of hundreds of students.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Islamabad alongside fellow students, Inam Tareen described the cancellation of the summer session as unprecedented and irresponsible. He pointed out that around 300 students would directly suffer academic losses due to this abrupt decision. Traditionally, a significant number of students use the summer session to improve their grades, retake failed examinations or meet credit requirements to avoid dropping out. Without the summer session, many students may face an increased risk of academic disruption and potential dropout.
Responding to the university administration’s justification—that the five-week vacation period was insufficient to conduct a summer session—Tareen emphasized that previously, sessions have always been successfully managed within a six-week holiday. “We are already four days into our protest—what circumstances have suddenly changed that the university administration insists upon reopening in September with no summer session?” Tareen questioned.
Furthermore, the students raised serious concerns relating to hostel accommodations, criticizing the university’s recurrent strategy of emptying hostels each summer under the pretext of repairs and maintenance work, causing significant distress among residents. Tareen highlighted the fact that no new male hostel facilities had been established at QAU in the past seven years, underscoring the ongoing accommodation crisis faced by students.
Expressing fears about their educational future, the student representatives appealed directly to concerned authorities and decision makers to urgently rescind both the hostel closure and summer session cancellation notices. They argued that such abrupt disruptions could push students toward difficult actions; however, Tareen affirmed their commitment to peaceful resolution and dialogue, reiterating, “We do not wish to take extreme measures; we simply want our basic right to education respected.”
Students have called upon authorities to intervene quickly and resolve the ongoing crisis, reminding them that their academic futures were at stake.
