In a concerning turn of events, some of the Sindhi students at Karachi University have been expelled for staging a hunger strike in protest against the university policies. The University of Karachi, instead of addressing the students’ concerns, chose to issue expulsion letters, raising questions about discrimination against Sindhi background individuals in Pakistan.
The expulsion comes after students protested against an abrupt fee hike and other grievances such as the implementation of the KSP-POLICY, discriminatory practices, and cultural heritage concerns. The administration’s alleged indifference to these issues fuelled the protests, pushing students to resort to a hunger strike as a final effort to draw attention to their demands.
Earlier developments saw some students being arrested, underscoring the university’s uncompromising stance on dissent. The entire situation highlights a lack of space for dialogue and discussion within the university. Instead of heeding the rightful demands of the students, the administration chose a path of suppression, first through arrests and now through expulsions.
The Jeay Sindh Freedom Movement (JSFM) has also condemned the decision of the university. JSFM took to X, formerly twitter, warning the university that if the decision of expulsion of the students is not taken back, they would start the protest.
This episode at Karachi University sheds light on the broader issue of discrimination and repression faced by Sindhi-background individuals, with concerns mounting over the state of academic freedom and the right to dissent in Pakistani universities.