KARACHI — Tensions boiled over at Karachi University on Wednesday after a clash between two rival student groups sparked fiery protests outside Mubina Town Police Station. Dozens of students blocked traffic on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road, burning tyres and demanding swift arrests of those involved in the violence.
The unrest began earlier in the day when nearly two dozen students armed with sticks stormed a rival group’s camp near the university’s Arts Lobby. In the attack, a student identified as Faheem sustained head and leg injuries, while several motorcycles parked in front of the administration building were set on fire, leaving at least one vehicle completely destroyed.
Witnesses said Faheem narrowly escaped the assault by rushing into the Arts Lobby, where university staff shielded him before moving him to the Vice Chancellor’s Secretariat. Vice Chancellor Dr. Khalid Iraqi later accompanied him to the campus clinic for treatment.
Campus security officials revealed that tensions had been simmering since the previous day, despite attempts by Rangers officials to broker peace between the groups. By the afternoon, the fragile calm collapsed, forcing police to deploy across the campus.
Outside the police station, angry students staged a sit-in, accusing authorities of deliberately delaying the registration of a case against their rivals. They warned that demonstrations would continue unless immediate action was taken.
Mubina Town SHO Chaudhry Nawaz told reporters that the process of lodging a case was underway and that negotiations were being held to persuade protesters to disperse peacefully.
