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Students strike again ... at emergency
LAHORE, Dec 01, 2007: About 300 students from various educational institutions protested the
suspension of the constitution and curbs on the media at Liberty roundabout
after Friday prayers.
The students also taped their mouths shut and
observed a 10-minute silence in protest. Superintendent of Police (Model Town
division) Imran Ahmad said the police would take action against the students
because the country was under emergency and nobody was allowed to protest on the
streets.
Students of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS),
Beaconhouse National University (BNU), FAST National University of Computer and
Emerging Sciences, Punjab University (PU), University of Engineering and
Technology (UET) and Lahore School of Economics gathered at Liberty roundabout
after Friday prayers. Lawyers, teachers and NGO workers also joined
them.
The students shouted anti-Musharraf slogans, as they marched within
the roundabout. They held posters and placards inscribed with slogans such as
'We are against PCO', 'Judiciary under PCO is not acceptable', 'Elections not
acceptable', 'Adlia ki azadi tak jung rahai gi', 'Go Musharraf Go' and 'Adlia ko
azad karo'. Several students also shouted slogans against the Islami Jamiat
Talaba.
Students also staged a sit-in at the roundabout and made speeches
on the occasion. They distributed pamphlets amongst citizens to make them aware
about the situation and to urge them to protest the emergency.
A student
from LUMS said the problems in Pakistan could not be resolved by removing a
dictator. He said the country lacked institutions required to make it go ahead.
He said that under such circumstances students had taken the first step to
organise themselves under the banner of the Students Action Committee (SAC). "We
will continue our movement even after the achievement of our short term goals.
We want to win for the people of Pakistan," he added.
A student from PU
said the students of universities were united against the emergency. He said the
students had organised themselves on a common agenda to protest the injustices
against the people. He said, "We demand empowering the people of Pakistan to
decide the country's future."
A teacher said, "We urge the youth of
Pakistan to unite against the emergency and PCO, which has destroyed the
judiciary."
A student from LUMS said that they wanted the
right to form peaceful democratic student organisations on campus where
discussions and debates on politics and social issues could be openly held. He
said students would continue protesting and would soon announce their next
strategy after an SAC meeting.
A large police contingent was present. The
SP said that the police allowed the students to protest within the
boundaries of Liberty roundabout. However, he said legal action would be taken
against them, as it was illegal to protest during an emergency.
Another
police officer said the police would contact the administrations of the colleges
where the students studied to identify the protest leaders.
IJT protest:
Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) workers protested against criminal cases against PU
teachers. According to a press release issued by the IJT on Friday, protestors
also shouted slogans against the PCO and the emergency.
PU IJT nazim
Attiqur Rehman said the cases against teachers were illegal and that the
government was victimising them for starting a movement against the emergency.
He said the IJT would continue its movement against the emergency and that the
government should end FIRs against the IJT. Daily Times
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Education News| Updated: 06 Jan, 2009 |
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