Omer Abdullah Khan
Ridicule and fear have long served as tools of control for the ruling class, with harassment functioning as a calculated mechanism that combines both. It’s a restrained form of violence, applied daily—not extreme enough to incite rebellion but constant enough to foster a tolerance for oppression. Examples include collective punishment in classrooms for one student’s error, police setting up random checkpoints to search citizens, or the use of rape as a psychological weapon in prisons. These are facets of systemic violence in a class-based structure, designed to create a pervasive atmosphere of fear and inferiority, sustaining the oppressive order. The most abhorrent form of this violence is sexual assault and harassment. Class-based societies are built upon a fundamental division between the powerful and the weak, a structure that is inherently patriarchal. Women and children, situated at the lowest rungs of this hierarchy, are subject to intensified forms of physical, psychological, and sexual violence to maintain this system. As the system’s crisis deepens, systematic violence escalates, until violence becomes the sole means of its survival. While this violence may temporarily silence dissent, it ultimately fuels rebellion in the long term.
This pattern was evident in recent student protests at a college, where youngest layer of students strongly reacted to an alleged assault on a peer. Although the incident may appear minor, it demands closer analysis. Since the post-Zia era—and particularly in recent years—reactionary forces like PTI and TLP have fostered a culture steeped in male chauvinism, misogyny, and victim-blaming surrounding sexual violence. The college students, however, rejected this culture within just two days, signalling the younger generation’s refusal to accept regressive mindsets. Beyond their outrage over the alleged assault, these students voiced anger about their own experiences with harassment, exposing the deeply rooted repression within the prevalent class-based education system.
Educational institutions in Pakistan have become akin to prisons, policed by private security and, in some cases, by paramilitary forces like the FC and Rangers under restrictive, quasi-fascist laws. The basic democratic right to form student unions is far out of reach—students aren’t even permitted the freedom to gather in study circles for discussions. Guards across these institutions are tasked with harassing, humiliating, racially profiling, and enforcing moral policing on students. In Government College University Faisalabad, for example, students report that armed guards even enter libraries with weapons and routinely harass students—a pattern common in both public and private institutions. This harassment isn’t limited to guards; it originates from the institution’s administration, often led by retired military officers who command these guards in the name of security. Typically, retired colonels or brigadiers frustrated by lack of promotion vent their disappointments on students. These individuals should be reintegrated into society through proper therapy post-retirement, rather than being given responsibility for younger generation’s development.
The fundamental role of the army is to produce individuals who can follow orders without question, whereas universities are meant to cultivate critical thinking. Appointing former military personnel, who are trained within a strict, hierarchical structure, to lead universities often results in institutions being managed like military setups rather than academic spaces. It’s akin to putting professors in charge of the military—soldiers would end up engaging in discussions rather than focusing on combat readiness.This stark misalignment highlights the lack of justification for such officers’ presence in academic institutions and the undue authority they wield over students. Removing them from educational administration is essential for the health and growth of these institutions.
As noted earlier, the most disturbing form of violence in this context is sexual harassment, especially against female students. Many women in educational institutions face sexual harassment, with blackmail standing out as a particularly toxic and pervasive form. Unlike more visible acts like rape or coercion, blackmail often goes hidden from the sight, yet it is among the most prevalent abuses. If female students were to openly share their stories, it would expose the pretence of civility in our society. Teachers and administrators wield absolute power over students, and as George Orwell once remarked, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The presence of entire harassment rackets outside institutions, which then connect to these oppressive structures within, increases this systematic abuse manifold.
It’s common to hear female students report that rejecting a professor’s advances led to them failing a subject, losing an entire year or semester. In a patriarchal society where women’s right to education is fragile, these students bear the weight of their parents’ sacrifices for expensive education. Only they know the toll this takes. Adding insult to injury, anti-harassment committees within institutions often consist of the same people or their friends who are part of this systematic abuse. These committees have transformed from anti-harassment bodies into harassment enablers.
In such an environment, students have no choice but to resist collectively against this systemic oppression. While the roots of these issues lie deep within the structure of society, true resolution requires dismantling the patriarchal and classist systems themselves. However, immediate resistance to all forms of harassment also cannot wait.
Therefore, it’s necessary that:
- Anti-harassment committees led by students be established in all educational institutions.
- In universities, a male and female representative should be elected for each class and section, forming a departmental anti-harassment committee.
- Each department committee should elect two student representatives, who would collectively form the central committee of the university.
- The same process should be conducted in colleges, forming committees with elected student representatives from the 11th and 12th grades.
- These committees should have the authority to suspend or permanently dismiss members of the administration, faculty, security personnel, or students involved in harassment.
- Local police stations must be required to file FIRs upon the committee’s recommendation against individuals involved in crimes, whether internal or external, that warrant punishment under Pakistan’s laws, with the committee kept fully informed at every stage of the investigation. The administration must be required to consult meaningfully with the committees regarding curfew timings
- The presence of security personnel on campus should be limited, and they should be prohibited from entering classrooms, libraries, and student gathering areas except in emergencies.
- Police and other security personnel’s campus entry should require the committee’s consent, barring emergencies.
- All gender-discriminatory policies should be abolished, and female students should have equal participation rights in all activities.
- The ban on political activities should be lifted and student unions must restore.
- The administration, security, and faculty should cease moral policing of students, with any discriminatory behaviour made punishable.
- University and college administrations should create an environment conducive to free speech and healthy debate under the committee’s guidance.
These steps, along with other progressive measures, won’t resolve the system’s structural issues but may improve societal standards somewhat. However, this state is historically so outdated and crisis-ridden that it offers only fascism and regression. Therefore, students in this country will have to fight this battle on their own, not only for themselves but for the society’s survival.
The role of political activists from all progressive and revolutionary organizations is crucial, as they have successfully brought these issues to the centre of political discussion in recent years. Now, they need to go a step further by organizing students around these issues.
The article opens by observing that this system subjects’ women and children to many-fold oppression. Yet, when women rise in defiance, they become a powerful force, reducing even the most entrenched pillars of tyranny to ashes. This was evident in the courageous protests by female students at the Islamic International University. Female students in Pakistan, especially, must take the lead in this struggle, playing a frontline role in building a society free from oppression.
