University students in Gilgit intensify protests against fee hike

In a recent turn of events, students of the Karakoram International University in Gilgit-Baltistan are protesting due to the sudden hike in fees.

Students were promised a refund of the fees which they were denied later.

Nisar Ali, a student of the university said, "We were told that the fee is refundable and then we took admission in this university. There are around 700 students at the university. We had done a survey which found out that around 90 per cent of the students cannot afford to pay the fees, as Gilgit-Baltistan is an economically weaker region."

The students have blamed the authorities for their atrocities and alleged that the varsity's Vice-Chancellor has himself threatened them of cancelling their admission if they continue with the protests.

"We were told that according to the 2011 scheme, we will not be charged the fees. Now after the admission, they are asking for money which is very difficult for us to pay," said a student who was protesting.

A handful of students even went to see Pakistan President Arif Alvi, where they were promised subsidies and grants as a solution to their issue. However, they were disillusioned and none of the promises was fulfilled.

Instead of addressing the concerns of the students, authorities have been giving false hopes to them that have resulted in this outburst.

For now, there seems no ray of hope for students as they feel cheated by the authorities who are trying to convert education, a basic human right, into a luxury. The authorities also fear that an education boom in the youth of the illegally occupied region will be detrimental for their rule.