DC Islamabad is trying to instill archaic rules in the city’s hostels. 

Living in hostels in Pakistan already comes with its own set of problems. A lot of hostels, both in institutes and private ones, tend to limit student mobility and enforce unnecessary disciplinary rules on their premises including but not limited to curfews, having guests stay over and room searches.

But apparently, the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad thinks that they aren’t doing a good enough job at restricting students; a lot of whom are adults and wants to implement rules even more stringent than the previous ones.

The rules he wishes to implement are that hostels are to maintain complete logs of any student movement in and out of hostel premises. Moreover, students should not be allowed to stay away for the night and cannot stay outside after 10 PM without informing their parents. And those people who are not students and are actually doing jobs? Yeah, they should also record their movements from and to the hostel and also register their official timings with the hostel administration.

On receipt of various complaints both by students and by their parents the following advisory is being issued for the hostels' administrations in Islamabad Capital Territory. pic.twitter.com/WTH97249VR

— Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (@dcislamabad) October 24, 2019

Can we for a SECOND talk about how deeply unnecessary this is?

Having people who are LEGALLY adults inform their parents of their whereabouts as a rule is… archaic. It is something you would expect from countries with oppressive regimes.

And to justify it by saying that students who stay out late are seen to be involved in criminal activities… Honestly, if that is the case then I am pretty sure a rule at a hostel will not stop criminals. If the law of the land does not prohibit them, how will a rule at a hostel achieve the same?

When people protested and pointed out that this was unfair and oppressive, he justified it by saying that your parents should know where you are; as long as they do, you can do as you please. Why is the Deputy Commissioner of Islamabad trying to dictate how dependent a child should be on their parents when they are already living away from home?

Lol,
10 PM
We eat our dinner after 10 sir!
We are not living in Occupied JammuKashmir where constant curfew has been imposed!
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and one should be allowed to roam outside at night.
Control the crimes don't imprison the students.
Regards

— javed khan (@javid11) October 24, 2019

You can eat the dinner whenever you want but let your parents know

— Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (@dcislamabad) October 25, 2019

People were flabbergasted by this insane notice.

Thats unconstitutional btw

— Waqas (@waqas_x) October 24, 2019

Students said they would challenge this notice if it was put into effect, as is the legal right of individuals in a democracy.

Mr. DC, if you ever tried to enforce these restrictions on Students, We will challenge you in the court for violating basic human right of movement. You have no legal ground to defend yourself. And we won't let you exercise your colonial mindset.

A Student #StopStudentEvictions

— PRSF (@ProgStudentsFed) October 24, 2019

Instead of trying to limit the freedom of students who live in hostels, the DC Islamabad should spend his time trying to look at the sub-par accommodations some of the students living in those hostels have to bear. Maybe fix those problems before you try to restrict those students within the walls of these hostels?

Others stated that their freedom should not be limited because the forces of law are not doing their job well enough. But the deputy commissioner maintained his stance; students should inform their parents and then could do whatever they want. 

Respected DC!
I just love to go outside and take tea and paratha at 2 am from Quetta Commercial Cafe. Nobody can stop me, not even that IB wala uncle, from going outside midnight to that children park near our hostel. Tighten security of the city, dnt snatch my liberty.

— Wazirov Khan (@wazirov_khan) October 24, 2019

It is clear that the reason behind these rules is to impede on the freedom of students. In our cultural context, we do know that children no matter what age, seldom have autonomy. Parents dictate what a child can or cannot do; no matter what their age. And if someone lives in a hostel and finally has some sort of freedom and autonomy, apparently the Deputy Commissioner cannot stand it and wants them to inform their parents of their whereabouts every single second.

Is this a free country?

— Raza Hassan (@RazaSHassan) October 24, 2019

What do you think of the DC Islamabad trying to restrict student freedom? Let us know in the comments below.

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Cover Image Source: @dcislamabad via Twitter.com