Karachi University students seek court order to revive student union

Karachi University students have approached the Sindh High Court with a petition demanding the restoration of the campus student union. The filing took place at the university’s School of Law and names the chief secretary, the secretaries for universities and boards, the secretary for colleges, the secretary for law, the vice‑chancellor and the registrar of Karachi University as parties to the case.

The petitioners contend that although the Sindh Students Union Act of 2019 was approved, the detailed rules and regulations required to implement the law have never been drafted. They ask the court to direct the Sindh government to formulate those rules and issue an official notification. The students also request that the university be instructed to set up an election commission and conduct elections for the union.

The Sindh Student Union Bill was first prepared in 2019 and sent to the standing committee on law and parliamentary affairs for review. After two years of consultations with various stakeholders, the legislation was passed unanimously by the provincial assembly in February 2022, with support from both treasury and opposition members. The law states that student‑union activities should complement academic programmes and other extracurricular pursuits, enriching the overall educational experience by encouraging participation in social, cultural, multicultural, intellectual, recreational, traditional, community‑service and campus‑governance activities. It also requires that union members be bona‑fide representatives of their respective institutions.