Demo held as four students go missing

LAHORE/ ISLAMABAD: A protest to express solidarity with students who were arrested the other day while protesting outside the University of Central Punjab (UCP) demanding online exams, will be staged at Faisal Chowk today (Friday). The students have announced to hold the demo and observe a black day under the theme “Students Day of Action: Against the increasing oppression”. Social media was also abuzz regarding alleged custody of some student activists by unknown individuals. The office-bearers of students union have alleged that four UCP students were missing since the clash.

They have demanded their recovery without any delay otherwise strong protest demonstration will be held on Friday (today).

They alleged that police and personnel in civvies took students into custody without arrest warrants. The missing students included Haris Ahmad and Ali Ashraf.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has expressed concerns over the arrest of the students. In a message on social media, Amnesty International observed that it was alarmed over the arrest of students in Lahore who were holding peaceful demonstrations asking for online exams. “We call for their immediate and unconditional release”.

The Pakistan Peoples Party also strongly denounced assault on the students in Lahore and called for early release of arrested student.

Former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani said baton charge and arrest of the students in Lahore by Punjab police is strongly condemned.

In a statement, he said students protesting against matters relating to academics have been charged under various provisions of Pakistan Penal Code and section 16 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960.

He said that this act of Punjab government against the peaceful students is not new as in the past also the student have been charged under 124-A of the PPC for sedition.

Rabbani said Professor Ammar Ali Jan was demonstrating for academic freedom was kidnapped and subsequently released on public pressure. “Such acts of the state to suffocate, terrify and brutalize the students and academia are growing indications that state is moving towards fascism where no dissent whether it be political or academic is allowed,” he said.

PPP Parliamentarians Secretary General Farhatullah Babar also denounced the assault on protesting students and called upon the authorities to listen to them. He said that universities were already holding online classes, the Higher Education Commission had no objection to online examinations and peaceful protests by students in support of their demands was absolutely justified. He said the Constitution and law permit the right to peaceful protests. He demanded immediate release of all students.

Farhatullah Babar also called for probe into reports that five students were kidnapped by some plainclothes men assisted by police early Thursday morning and had still not been produced before any court.