LAHORE, Oct 28: The Joint Action Committee on Monday gave a 24-hour deadline to the government to withdraw boards of governors and Model University Ordinance.

It said if the demand was not met in the next 24 hours, teachers, doctors and students would not remain peaceful.

It further announced that teachers and students across the province would boycott classes every day after 10am from Nov 1.

Speaking at a sizable gathering of teachers, doctors and students here at the Islamia College Railway Road, JAC leaders Nazim Hasnain, Pro Dr Haris Rashid, Majid Wazir, Azam Butt, Rana Liaquat, Asad Jamal and Arshad Chaudhry said that they would run the campaign more vigorously if the government stuck to its black laws.

They said one the hand the Punjab governor claimed every now and then that no educational institution and hospital was being privatized and at the same time he had privatized several institutions in the province.

They said the government had been threatening teachers and doctors with removal from service if they continued to participate in the JAC’s protest demonstrations. They said the students were also being pressured by their principals.

They said the government had so far removed nine teachers and five doctors from service in the Punjab and was planning to fire about 200 more.

They said the people had already rejected the BoGs in hospitals and educational institutions but the government was not ready to accept its mistake.

They said the so-called amendments to the MUO announced by the government a couple of days ago was mere a ploy to deceive teachers, doctors and students but they would not let it succeed in its evil designs.

The JAC leaders asked the government to drop the idea of imposing the IMF and World Bank health and education policies on the masses.

The protesters later marched from the college campus to the Dalgirah Chowk and held a protest demonstration for a while. They also staged a sit-in there.

Holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-BoGs and MUO slogans, the protesters were shouting slogans against Governor Khalid Maqbool.

Anti-riot police were present on the occasion but they did not interfere. Meanwhile, teachers and students across the province also boycotted classes on Monday after 10am and took out protest rallies against the anti-people policies of the government.

The JAC also announced that teachers and students of all colleges in the province would boycott the classes after 11am on Tuesday (today) and take out protest rallies.

The teachers, doctors and students would continue to hold demonstrations on every Monday and Thursday. — Reporter