Islamabad (October 20, 2017) Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) reopened on Friday after closure of 16 days due to students protest for fulfilling their demands.
Academic activities will be resumed from Monday in QAU, one of the top-ranked public sector universities of the country in the federal capital. However, the protesting students ended their protest and the university was opened today.
The university administration and the representatives of the protesting students and district administration reached an understanding on Thursday.
QAU had been closed since October 4 after its students started demonstration against increase in tuition fees and rustications of students over brawl between different groups in the campus.
The university issued a notification Thursday night saying it has retracted its decision to make a 10 percent upward revision in the fees, its vice-chancellor disclosed, adding that the students have ended their protest.
“The talks have been successful, culminating in the university reopening its gates on Friday,” Captain (retd.) Mushtaq Ahmad — Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad said.
“It is not advisable to take any action in education institutes that may have a negative impact on the country’s image,” Ahmad added.
The Deputy Commissioner noted that 12 out of the students’ 13 demands pertained to the university’s administration, and of those, the biggest one was related to the fees.
The students had claimed that they were protesting for better facilities in the hostel and for the cancellation of a recent hike in fees.
However, QAU officials said the real reason was their demand of bringing back the students who were expelled owing to the recent clashes in the varsity.
While the matter has now been resolved, Ahmad said an important meeting is to be convened today to discuss the issue of expelled students.
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