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Pro-Musharraf students stage rally
LAHORE, Dec 10, 2007: The first pro-Musharraf demonstration by 'students' since the
imposition of emergency on Sunday sparked controversy and drawn criticism from
students who have been protesting against President Musharraf for suspending the
constitution.
The pro-government demo was held at Liberty Chowk, Gulberg,
at around 1pm to 2pm. Over 100 'students' participated in the demo and showed
their support for President General (r) Pervez Musharraf's policies. They
carried placards, chanted pro-Musharraf slogans and expressed solidarity with
the government.
The participants of the demo, however, were very critical
of the rising poverty in the country and demanded government work for poverty
alleviation. "Ghurbat Ko Khatam Karo" (End poverty!), read a placard.
Talking to journalists, majority of participants claimed that they were
students of different universities of the City such as the Lahore University of
Management Sciences (LUMS), the FAST-National University and the University of
Engineering and Technology (UET).
They said that they supported
President Musharraf because he had a vision and had done a lot for the country.
"He (Musharraf) is a genuine leader and we the students support his policies,"
said a participant of the demo.
A police contingent was deployed close to
the demo but no police official disrupted the demo. Faisal Sharif, the station
house officer of Gulberg police station, said that police did not act
because students were holding the demo in a peaceful manner.
Reacting to
the demo, members of the Students Action Committee (SAC), a student body engaged
in organising anti-Musharraf demos, said that students at the "arranged" demo
did not have represent LUMS or other universities of the City.
"The SAC
consists of students from LUMS and other universities of the City and we are
positive that students from universities such as the LUMS and FAST-National
University had nothing to do with the demo," he said.
Another SAC member
said: "Children and relatives of former federal and provincial ministers of the
PML-Q had arranged the demonstration since no one else could think of doing such
a thing especially after the arrest of students". "How could students from LUMS
and FAST-NU support the present regime when police was registering criminal
cases against them and arresting them," he said. "We have heard that a lavish
meal was also served to the protesting 'students' for holding the demo," he
added.
Another SAC member said the government would have seen huge
reaction even from students at government-run institutions if it had allowed
freedom of expression. "Thanks to LUMS management which did not deprive students
this right," she said. An SAC organiser claimed that an effort was made to
mobilise students of government colleges against suspension of constitution
against the present regime on the platform of SAC but it did not work.
"Government-sponsored student organisations such as the Muslim Students
Federation rule in majority of colleges such as MAO College and they do not
allow students even to talk against the government," he said. The News
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