18 July 2004	Sunday	29 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, July 17: The Punjab University Academic Staff Association on Saturday boycotted activities at the university to register their protest against demolition of eight pedestrian bridges and police action against students , teachers and the university staff.

The City District Government had demolished the bridges that linked the university's academic campus with hostels across the canal.

The government had also razed speed-breakers to make the road a thoroughfare for motorists. On resistance from students, a heavy contingent of police had resorted to teargas shells that left many students injured and also affected teachers and their accommodations.

When contacted, PUASA President Dr Iftikhar Husain Baloch said the government should not make the road a thoroughfare. He said rash driving on the road might cause accidents because no measures could be taken to stop thousands of boarders to come on the roads.

He said the university faculty would continue to protest until the government restored all the pedestrian bridges. The government, he said, had taken an ill-conceived decision that disrupted the academic atmosphere.

Dr Baloch said the PUASA had again called its executive council meeting on Monday (tomorrow) to plan further strategy to deal with the issue.

Meanwhile, the Islami Jamiat Tulaba has deplored the police action against students and described it as the worst 'state terrorism.'

Speaking at a news conference at the Student-Teacher Centre on the New Campus, IJT Nazim Rana Muhammad Arshad said the police continued to fire teargas shells for almost 12 hours and had arrested 32 students to help the government agencies demolish bridges. The workers also cut water supply lines.

He said the police had tortured students on behalf of the chief minister, demanding that he should seek apology from the victims. He also called for sacking of Communication and Works Department secretary Sibtain Fazal-i-Haleem at the earliest.

The IJT, he said, would continue to protest against the incident. The Jamiat had decided to observe protests on every Tuesday and Friday to condemn the police action till the government brought the police officials concerned to book.

He, however, demanded that the government should inaugurate the underpasses' project within 10 days and construct an overhead pedestrian bridge at the Shaikh Zayed Islamic Centre.

Earlier, the IJT activists marched from the PU New Campus canal bridge to the vice-chancellor's office. The students, who had worn black armbands, chanted slogans against the government and the police.

COMPENSATION: The IJT Nazim welcomed the PU administration's move to give Rs10,000 to each student, who suffered injuries during the clash, and Rs5,000 to each student arrested by the police.

He said the university administration had also started a shuttle bus service from hostels to the campus for the convenience of the students.