Editor Report
Islamabad:The Islamabad Police on Tuesday said that some students were “shifted” during an operation to vacate the hostels of Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) that generated intense criticism.Videos circulating on social media since the early hours of today showed police personnel outside the hostels with some of them about students being arrested or taken away. The videos elicited strong criticism with many decrying why action was being taken against students and saying that over 70 were arrested.A statement from the Islamabad police confirmed the development, saying: “At the request of the university administration, [the] Islamabad police provided legal police assistance. The students had vacated 11 hostels, while regarding the remaining four hostels, the university administration stated that some students were not vacating them despite instructions from the university administration and were residing there illegally.“Upon the written request of the Quaid-i-Azam University administration, assistance was provided to the university administration and security guards. Those students who resisted this peaceful process have been shifted from the hostel, and now legal action will be taken based on the written request of the university administration.”A statement from the university said the district administration took action in the morning to vacate the hostels after the deadline expired.“It should be noted that [the] Quaid-i-Azam University had decided to temporarily close the hostels from July 13, 2025, in view of the annual repair, maintenance and renovation work during the summer vacations. A large number of students complied with this decision and vacated the hostels, however, some students were still there who had been given repeated time by the university and the district administration to vacate the hostels,” it read.It added that the Islamabad High Court had dismissed the students’ petition challenging the administrative action of the university as inadmissible and confirmed the autonomy of the institution under the Quaid-i-Azam University Act 1973.“[The] Quaid-i-Azam University once again reiterates its commitment to providing a safe and conducive environment for students while maintaining discipline, academic standards, and institutional autonomy,” the statement said.Contesting the police statement, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir in a post on X questioned why entry was not being allowed to the Secretariat police station. “We just had a meeting with the vice chancellor [of the QAU] and he clearly stated that he did not make any such request,” she added.
