Residents demand end to commercial activities in Peshawar’s University Town

Flay private school owners for using children as shield

PESHAWAR: The University Town residents on Sunday asked the provincial government to stop forthwith commercial activities in the area as directed by the Peshawar High Court and decided to launch a series of peaceful protest demonstrations against non-compliance with the court orders.

The demand was renewed as the town residents held a largely attended meeting at the Town Club to take stock of a recent protest demonstration by the school owners. The owners of the private elite schools functioning in the University Town had arranged the protest by bringing the students on roads. They had even blocked the main road to pressure the government to stop the action against commercial activities in the University Town.

In a statement issued here, the town residents said that commercial activities had been stopped on court orders in several areas, including Hayatabad, Shami Road and Defence Officers Colony, but the provincial government is reluctant to implement the same in the University Town, which is a matter of grave concern.

They expressed concern over the protest demonstration of children arranged by the private school owners and said using schoolchildren as a shield was a crime. The residents said that security of schoolchildren was put on risk without considering the true essence of education. They said the schools were supposed to educate children as law-abiding citizens, not as court orders defying citizens.

The town residents said that even after the passage of the court orders in April 2015, dozens of new commercial activities had been initiated in University Town, which means that the provincial government is not serious in implementing the court orders.