KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief Monem Zafar Khan has accused the government of pursuing an anti-education policy, alleging it is dismantling the education system through undemocratic actions.
Addressing a press conference at Idara Noor-e-Haq on Saturday, he said the PPP government while claiming to champion democracy was acting in an authoritarian manner. “After passing a bill that compromises the autonomy of universities, the government has now separated the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) from Karachi University to favour specific individuals and donors.”
He added that while institutions were nationalized in the 1970s, the current government was “selling them off” under the guise of public-private partnerships. He demanded immediate withdrawal of the ICCBS separation bill and the announcement of student union elections as mandated under the 2019 Sindh Assembly resolution and the 2022 Student Union Act. He also urged the government to increase Karachi University’s bus fleet and bring its fees closer to those of Sindh University.
Zafar emphasized that Karachi University’s statutory bodies—including the Senate, Syndicate, and the Higher Education Commission—were bypassed entirely. “No consultation was held. This is undemocratic and unacceptable.”
The JI leader criticised a recent bill allowing Grade-19 or Grade-20 bureaucrats— with no academic background— to be appointed as vice-chancellors. “A world-recognised institution like ICCBS, established in 1967 by Dr Salim-uz-Zaman Siddiqui, is being sacrificed for political interests,” he regretted.
Citing the Pakistan Economic Survey, he pointed out that 26.2 million children are out of school nationwide, including 7.8 million in Sindh, while the literacy rate stands at just 61.8 percent. “Pakistan is spending only 0.8 percent of GDP on education when UNESCO recommends 4 percent,” he said.
He also criticized the lack of progress on student union elections. “It has been 45 months since the Student Union Act was passed, yet not a single institution has held elections. The PPP fears an empowered student body,” he claimed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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