Factors Leading to Political Activism in University Students: Case Study of Musa Khan’s Death

Abstract

The death of Musa Khan at University of Malakand has become a national issue because of the effective role played by social media in spreading news, mobilizing the people, hence, demanding justice. Social media sources like Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, and TikTok played a major role in spreading news, emotional tributes, and protest calls with the use of trending hashtags like #Justice_for_Musa_Khan. This online trend converted Musa’s incident from a local incident to a national debate. Social media has become a principal tool for organizing students and starting protests against the university administration and demand for justice and accountability. The trend caught the focus of politicians and human rights’ activists regarding the incident. Social media platforms gave voice to the voiceless, ensured that the incident was no longer buried, and forced administration and society to confront uncomfortable truths, all demonstrating how social media emerged as a powerful tool for social action and collective action. The study was aimed to investigate how this incident happened at university and how it led to a vibrant political activism amongst the students.