The\u00a0government’s\u00a0oppressive actions failed to quell\u00a0the student movement.\u00a0 In December 1953,\u00a0student\u00a0leaders from East and West Pakistan joined progressive forces\u00a0to announce the All Pakistan Students Convention. Representatives from colleges nationwide attended this\u00a0conference, with\u00a0Mateen and Khaliq-ul-Zaman representing\u00a0East Pakistan, Abid Hasan Manto leading\u00a0the Punjab delegation and Syed Mazhar Jameel leading the largest delegation\u00a0from Sindh.
\nA delegation from Government College Quetta, led by student leader Rahnama Kamal Qadri, attended a convention\u00a0in Karachi’s Kutbuddin Hall in January 1954 to observe\u00a0Martyrs’ Day. Messages of solidarity were received from student organizations\u00a0worldwide.\u00a0Minister of Law A.K. Brohi was a special guest, while Interior Minister Gormani expressed concern over his car being burned by students. There were plans to disrupt the convention.
\nThe students were reprimanded by the principal in\u00a0the headmaster’s office for misbehavior. They had a defense squad,\u00a0led by the head of the literary society, who later\u00a0became\u00a0an expert in infectious diseases and founded the Sindh Anti-Tuberculosis and Transplant Society. The council approved the\u00a0formation\u00a0of the All Pakistan Students’ Organization (APSO).
\nIn 1954, Pakistan joined Western security organizations and\u00a0cracked down on APSO, jailing its leaders. DSF activists took over APSO’s platform and formed the NSF in 1956. Karachi students protested the Suez Canal crisis in 1956\u00a0under\u00a0NSF\u00a0leadership. In 1957, Karachi Board’s decision to\u00a0end intermediate exams\u00a0led to further\u00a0student\u00a0unrest.
\nThe NSF protested and successfully pressured the board administration to\u00a0retract\u00a0their\u00a0announcement.\u00a0In January 1959, Zain-ul-Abidin Khan Lodhi, the newly elected General Secretary of the NSF,\u00a0organized a 15-day student strike\u00a0following the closure of the Students Herald in\u00a01957. The NSF published\u00a0a\u00a0martyr\u00a0issue on January 7th, which led to a\u00a0police raid\u00a0on\u00a0their\u00a0office,\u00a0resulting in the confiscation of the publication and the office being sealed. Subsequently, the National Students Federation was declared illegal.
\nIn May 1959,\u00a0Talib e Ilm magazine’s declaration was revoked under security laws. On\u00a0November\u00a013,\u00a01960, revolutionary leader Hasan Nasir was brutally murdered in Lahore’s Shalimar Fort, sparking\u00a0protests against Ayub Khan’s regime. In 1961, the NSF protested actions against freedom fighters in Algeria, the murder of Congo’s Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, and injustices in Jammu and Kashmir, India.\u00a0The NSF initiated a movement for a three-year degree course\u00a0in 1962, leading to the central government announcing\u00a0its end on September 30. In 1965, the NSF split into two factions due to disagreements over the international workers’ movement\u00a0and\u00a0Khrushchev’s revisionist line.
\nAmeer Hyder Kazmi led one faction, while\u00a0Dr. Rashid Hasan Khan, supported by revolutionary elements,\u00a0led another faction. In 1968, Dr. Rashid Hasan Khan\u00a0became\u00a0the president\u00a0of NSF.\u00a0In 1969, following the decisions of the central executive council of NSF, Dr. Rashid Hasan Khan embarked on a nationwide tour. He received a warm reception\u00a0in various cities and villages,\u00a0leading to\u00a0rallies\u00a0being\u00a0held in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Peshawar, Nowshera, Swat, Mardan, Campbellpur, Gujrat, and other cities.
\nIt is\u00a0true that\u00a0during\u00a0the 1970 general elections,\u00a0various individuals with left-wing leanings backed the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), and\u00a0Maraj Muhammad Khan,\u00a0the former president of the All Pakistan Federation of Labour (APFL),\u00a0not only aligned itself\u00a0with the PPP but also\u00a0served as a federal minister in the Bhutto government. However, it\u00a0would be incorrect to\u00a0claim\u00a0that the APFL\u00a0as an organization\u00a0supported Bhutto. APFL\u00a0members\u00a0were cognizant\u00a0that the\u00a0APFL\u00a0leadership\u00a0continued to strive for a path towards a popular democratic revolution. The APFL’s dual approach and vocal opposition to military actions in East Pakistan are noteworthy. When the Bhutto administration cracked down on\u00a0workers in Sindh on June 7 and 8, 1972, in SITE and on October 17 and 18 in Landhi, the APFL steadfastly\u00a0supported\u00a0the workers.
\nIn Afghanistan,\u00a0the government of Nur Muhammad Taraki and Soviet intervention\u00a0once again led to disagreements, resulting\u00a0in\u00a0NSF workers\u2019\u00a0imprisonments\u00a0in 1980. The ideological foundations of the conflicts that\u00a0arose\u00a0in 1965 and 1980 can be analyzed, but it is challenging to find\u00a0an ideological\u00a0rationale\u00a0for the larger conflicts that\u00a0ensued. NSF also\u00a0opposed\u00a0General Zia-ul-Haq’s ruthless martial law in Pakistan. Many activists were detained and\u00a0expelled from universities during Zia’s authoritarian rule. NSF successfully united anti-martial law forces during this period, particularly against the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, a supporter of Zia’s regime. NSF participated in Student Union elections to counter General Zia\u2019s oppression.
\nNSF has been actively advocating for press freedom\u00a0and defending the autonomy of educational institutions. In the 1981 student union elections, NSF made significant gains nationwide. However,\u00a0in 1982, they faced challenges due to General Zia-ul-Haq’s interference with all his state power.\u00a0In the November 1983 elections, NSF and its allies achieved a historic victory, prompting General Zia to impose a ban on student unions on 9th February, 1984. This led to widespread protests,\u00a0known as the “100 Days\u2019 Movement”\u00a0of NSF,\u00a0as the government’s actions disrupted the academic environment, it fueled non-curricular activities and violence in educational institutions,\u00a0significantly\u00a0impacting NSF.
\nThe\u00a0rich\u00a0traditions,\u00a0logical narrative of NSF, unmatched struggle, and\u00a0countless sacrifices\u00a0continue to draw\u00a0students\u00a0back to\u00a0educational institutions to enhance their surroundings, address daily challenges, and engage\u00a0in\u00a0healthy extracurricular activities. The organization of NSF is currently\u00a0underway, and in numerous cities across different\u00a0provinces, NSF is once again\u00a0capturing the\u00a0attention\u00a0of both\u00a0male and female students. It is imperative that as NSF embarks on its 21st Council Session and expands its national presence, the organization’s legacy be safeguarded from\u00a0any\u00a0conspiratorial\u00a0forces to ensure\u00a0that NSF’s ideological vigor and exceptional discipline can guide the nation\u00a0towards a people\u2019s democratic revolution\u00a0for the people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0government’s\u00a0oppressive actions failed to quell\u00a0the student movement.\u00a0 In December 1953,\u00a0student\u00a0leaders from East and West Pakistan joined progressive forces\u00a0to announce the All Pakistan Students Convention. Representatives from colleges nationwide attended this\u00a0conference, with\u00a0Mateen and Khaliq-ul-Zaman representing\u00a0East Pakistan, Abid Hasan Manto leading\u00a0the Punjab delegation and Syed Mazhar Jameel leading the largest delegation\u00a0from Sindh. A delegation from Government College<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[156,152],"class_list":{"0":"post-5104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national","8":"tag-nsf","9":"tag-pakistan"},"yoast_head":"\n