Student Politics In Pakistan

The student today in Pakistan, is far more inactive in politics. From the heydays of political activity in the 60s to the politically dormant entity of the 90s, a lot of change has taken place in student attitudes towards political activity. Who and/or what factors have been responsible for fomenting this attitude of apathy in the student population.

The initial purpose of this study was to investigate the role of student politics in Pakistan however after much research and deliberation, the focus changed to the issue of depoliticization which is more pertinent to casual observers of politics and contemporary student youth in particular. The objective of this study is therefore first to delineate the meaning of depoliticization and then look at some of the contributory factors resulting in its existence. This study, through the help of a questionnaire tries to measure and analyze any differences that might exist between public and private universities. At the end, the research states its findings and acknowledges limitations in its methods and looks at possible avenues for future research. It may be an understatement to say that there exists a lack of current research on student politics. The study therefore had to rely not only on secondary resources i.e. newspaper clippings from the nation’s dailies, magazine and journal articles, and books but also on primary sources including personal interviews with Azizuddin Ahmad and Umair Idrees . A questionnaire was carried out on the students of Punjab University and was compared to the results the author got from LUMS. The sample size from the latter was limited to 30 students. Since the questionnaire was pre-designed and was mainly used to gauge the attitude of student towards political participation rather than their personal feedback on the reasons towards their lack of politicization, the findings need to be taken with some caution till more elaborate research in future yields credible data sources. Nonetheless, it provides some basic trends of similarities and/or contrasts in a public and private university.

The meaning of depoliticization can be best understood if we consider it as a negation of politicization. So what does politicization imply? According to Azizuddin, politicization is best understood as comprising of not only the awareness of an issue/situation but also the motivation to act politically to resolve it. So in essence depoliticization would mean that there is a lack of consciousness and a failure to respond.

The Pakistani state in my understanding is characterized at best as a pseudo modern authoritarian regime. Most modern authoritarian regimes ban all activity deemed irrelevant to a stereotypical role of the student who is there to study. They expressly prohibit all student political activity including meetings, publications and free speech. They destroy venerable student organizations. All this is a part of a general coercive depoliticization of previously high politicized society (Levy, 1981) However, repression of civilian politics in general and student politics in particular is nothing new and countless examples exist in many Third World Countries. Therefore the paper’s analysis will abstract away from such explanations and will look towards a more society-centered explanation.

The primary reason for the depoliticization of the student masses is alienation. The alienation of the student stems from criminalization in the student body. A consensus of opinion existed across all the interviewees. Dr. Rasul Baksh Rais says that public educational institutions are sanctuaries for criminals (R. B. Rais, personal communication, Feb 18, 2006). The maximum tenure of a student in a university is around 4-6 years but when certain “elements” within the public institutions surpass the normal lifespan of the student and stay back for about ten to twenty years is when it starts to spell trouble (U. Idrees, personal communication, Feb 19, 2006). Such groups are funded from the pockets of various political groups working within universities that seem to be forwarding their own political agenda. Arms were first introduced in universities during the time of Zia and since then the criminal activity of these underground gangs has only increased encompassing other criminal activities such as drugs and narcotics. It was then followed by the emergence of the Qabza groups who monopolized power and used underhanded techniques of extortion to cast terror into the hearts of people (A. Ahmad, personal communication, Feb 19, 2006).

The past killings and victimization of political activists has caused much frustration among the youth that they remained unmotivated (Waris, 2005). Thus, the common response of students fearing pressure tactics applied by criminal groups is to distance themselves from taking part in any political activity within a university. The frequency of violent clashes today on campus has considerably subsided however the fear remains alive in the heart of the students.

Some religious student groups claiming to be the sole moral guardians of society use unreasonably forceful tactics to curb actions that they deem are immoral. These range from beating people conversing with members of the opposite sex (Waris, 2005). Azizuddin vitriolically attacks such groups saying that they seek to further a specific brand of Islam and that they are intolerant to any ideals. (A. Ahmad, personal communication, Feb 19, 2006). Whatever their ideological orientations such harsh measures taken by various religious groups has created a resentment against such groups.

Party Politics:

The role of political parties in the alienation of students cannot be denied. There is no student organization other than political party affiliations that exist in Pakistani universities today. The student wings of Muslim League, PPP and Jamat-e-Islami have had overt linkages and were under considerable influence of their parent political parties. With the banning of the student union, the link between the union and students was severed but that with the political parties still remained.

“In the first few decades of Pakistan’s existence, student politics was a symbol of the students’ socio-political awareness. But the 80s and 90s saw the socially sensitive and ideology-based political activism of students transform into the gross manipulation of young minds by self-serving political powers” (Waris, 2005)

The national political parties are divided in their agenda and the failure of these parties to reach to any broad consensus or setting the rules of the game in national politics has also led this mistrust to trickle down in their student wings and a huge cleavage has emerged amongst many student groups whose activities are hostile to each other’s existence. As a consequence there has been a fragmentation of students along party lines. The political parties have not been hesitant in using their student activists against each one another. A serious lack of understanding exists and the politically motivated student activists have failed to dampen their stance (often dictated by a party’s whims) and adopt a more pluralistic role.

The intensity of alienation varies with the number of collectivities an individual belongs to. (Hadja, 1961). The self-exclusion of the students due to their uneasiness and lack of identification with the more violent elements among the students and also the inability of some of the students to follow narrow ideological position compounded with the non-existence of alternate student collectivities has led the students to become depoliticized and indifferent to the political activities occurring in their university If these very student groups/parties arrange academic, entertainment or sports events, attendance is in full but when it comes to anything beyond that, the average student recoils.

Cultural deterioration:

Here Seeman’s normlessness (as a variety of alienation) may help to explain a general decline in civic sense among students.
“Normlessness is defined as the condition in which the norms have lost their regulatory power hence anarchy, disorder, instability, excessive competition and individualism results. It is not only social-psychological but the anomie also presents a structural component which simply means a widespread occurrence of individual disrespect for the norms” (Seeman, 1975)

Azizuddin states that there has been a gradual decline in the culture over time. This cultural decay has brought a certain sense of cynicism in the students and they don’t run after the high ideals like in the past (A. Ahmad, personal communication, Feb 19, 2006). Consumerism increasingly drives the meaning of citizenship as the principles of self interest sabotage political agency. The previously held ideals of community and “We” have been replaced by “I” and a sense of individualism which is debilitating. A culture of self interest has spawned which hitherto did not exist and this has depoliticized students. (Giroux, 2001). It’s a commonly held perception that crime does pay and this on-going cultural decline has led to the politics of “Loot Lo” i.e. rob. This has led to an excessive competition in criminal activities. Youth in poor localities have started to criminalize and that is why crime is rampant among youth in poorer localities.

Most political parties it seems are furthering their own petty agenda without any Arshad claims that it is this selfishness that has disappointed young people and made them apolitical as a result (Hussain, 2005). The political parties and their leaders have made no effort to create political consciousness, awareness and projection of collective consciousness and rejection of individualism which has led to this culture of selfishness and made students lose hope in the political system.
“Self-estrangement, another dimension of alienation refers to the failure to realize one’s human potential, individual level of self esteem, sometimes to the sensed discrepancy between one’s preferred qualities and realized qualities” (Seeman, 1975)

The youth has stopped being idealistic notes Azizuddin and a general skepticism exists in society which is increasingly taking a toll on student life. At first when students were involved in political debate, there was a general linkage of issues they felt strongly about with possible political solutions to specific issues. Since the banning of student politics, there has been a lack of debate for quite a time period and the students of today feel at a complete loss as to they are unable to bridge perception with reality. They thus are indulgent now in petty work or work that at the end of the day appears meaningless and may lead to deviant behavior or a general detachment from life. (A. Ahmad, personal communication, Feb 19, 2006)

Public-Private Trends:

Is the student really depoliticized in Pakistan? I now take the discussion towards the result of a questionnaire and compare and contrast some of the trends. I have taken only part of the questionnaire that is relevant to my analysis and (being question sets 1, 2, 15, 16 and 17). A greater portion of the students (70%) in LUMS were against politics in educational institutions as compared to 68% who were in favor of it in public universities. The results are expected out of private universities which have a very apoliticized environment and generally evidence exists for a far greater vitality in student politics in public than private universities (Levy, 1981). Secondly, since most public universities are generally more inclusive, over time increase in student population leads to a strain in resources and a decline in education quality. Students from a privileged strata demand a more tranquil and academically superior environment where there is no disruption. Students thus underscore their commitment to this apoliticized environment by paying high tuitions fees that most public university students are unable to pay.

The issue of violence in educational institutions 60% of the people in public universities claimed there was violence in education institutions compared to 52% among LUMS students. However, this 52% often cited PU and KU as being center for such activities signaling that even among most private students the public universities were generally known for their bad reputation thereby asserting the claim that public university is a safe haven for criminals. Item 15 i.e. satisfaction with the political circumstances of Pakistan elicited a similar response from both universities. Item 16 on whether student thought they were fulfilling their social responsibility also received a very low positive response which indicates the attitudes of the current student youth is that of cynicism. If this question is collated with the responses gauged from question 8 then some pattern emerges. Generally, people in public universities cited reasons such as lack of employment and no sure path towards the future as reasons for pessimism. Some private university students also cited other personal reasons such as peer pressure. It may suggest (and it can be contested) that coming from affluent backgrounds, private students represent a certain individual idealism which may not be so prevalent in public university students.

Conclusion:

This paper was aimed at analyzing the role alienation plays in the depoliticization of students. It explains 3 factors responsible for this alienation primarily being criminal activities of certain political activists, the fragmentation of the students as a result of party politics and lastly as a result of a general cultural decline. It compares and contrasts the trends in Punjab University (Bargad Magazine) vis-à-vis LUMS . The findings of the research are that indeed there is a great amount of substantiation for some of the factors that have been outlined. Alienation as can be seen generally leads to political apathy. However, there is still room for optimism as a considerable percentage of people realize the need to take a positive role in dealing with the issues at hand by taking on a more positive approach by seeking a career in politics. Still the burden does not only lie on the student but also on political parties to abstain from the “holier than thou” mentality and to stop maligning each other and work towards a more progressive role in fomenting student support. The encouragement of pluralistic ideals will help alleviate the rift between different student factions.

Further research in the area could look at the attitudes of the parents as contributory factors to politicization or lack of it in the students since parents are generally viewed as role models. Also of interest could be the dynamic of age in ascertaining attitudes towards student politics. Other possible avenues of research could exploit the public private university divide and explain the differences in different levels of student activity. Also even within private universities, comparison between students of

liberal arts education vs. technical education could reveal interesting insights and may help dispel commonly held notions about political behavior.

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Bibliography:
• Giroux, H. A. (2001). Mis/education and zero tolerance: disposable youth and the politics of domestic militarization. Boundary 2, 28(3), 65-231.

• Hadja, J. (1961). Alienation and integration of student intellectuals. American Sociological Review, 26(5), 758-777.

• Hussain, Z. A. (2005). The depoliticisation of karachi’s youth. The News International, . Retrieved Feb 27, 2006, from http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-weekly/nos-21-08-2005 /kol.htm#1

• Levy, D. (1981). Student politics in contemporary latin america. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 14(2), 353-376.

• Seeman, M. (1975). Alienation studies. Annual Review of Sociology, 1, 91-123.

•Waris, M. (2005). The decline of student activism. The News International, . Retrieved Feb 27, 2006, from http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2005-weekly/nos-21-08-2005 /kol.htm#1

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Questionnaire

1. Are you in favor of politics in educational institutions?

Yes No No Answer

2. Is there violence in educational institutions? Is so then write its reasons in brief.

Yes No No Answer
_____________________________________________

3. Have you read any literature regarding the student movement in Pakistan?

Yes No No Answer

4. Do you think union activity is the right way to address student’s problems?

Yes No No Answer

5. Do you think students should be part of political parties?

Yes No No Answer

6. Do you think it is necessary for student’s political activity to be confined to their educational institutions?

Yes No No Answer

7. Write three major problems that you think students face today
.
1. ______________________
2. __________________ ____
3. _______________________

8. Are you satisfied with the education standards of your college or university?

Yes No No Answer

9. Write the names of three of your favorite books.

1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________


10. Write the names of your three favorite films.
1 ___________________________
2 ___________________________
3 ___________________________

11. Do you like any political leader (Paki)? If so give names.

Yes No No Answer
____________________________________________________ ________

12. Do you read the newspaper?

Yes No No Answer

13. Which portion of the newspaper do you like?

National news -
International news -
Sports -
Regular columns -
Editorial -
Other

14. Do you watch news on television or Cable?

Daily
One day in a week
One day in a month

15. Are you satisfied with the political circumstances in Pakistan?

Yes No No Answer

16. Do you think you are fulfilling your social responsibilities as a student?

Yes No No Answer

17. Do you intend to take part in political activity in the future?

Yes No No Answer

18. Arrange these issues in order of your priorities (1 being the lowest)

Terrorism __
Human rights __
Rule of law __
Education __
Corruption __
Freedom of press __
Women’s rights __
Employment __



Questionnaire Responses:

Question Yes (%) No (%) No Answer(%)

1 26 70 4
2 52 26 22
5 48 48 4
6 19 63 19
15 7 85 7
16 22 38 41
17 37 41 22