KARACHI, Dec 9: Hundreds of students from various educational institutions of Karachi on Thursday took out a rally against changes in the educational curricula establishment of the Aga Khan University Board
, and the government's media policy of secularization.
The rally started from the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (DCET) Karachi and culminated at Regal Chowk, Saddar. It was organized by the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) in connection with its ongoing campaign against secularization.
The Nazim-i-Ala of IJT, Zubair Ahmed Gondal, local IJT leaders Tahir Akbar, Taufique Siddiqui, Amir Ashraf and others led the rally. Heavy contingents of police and Rangers were deployed for the protection of participants of the rally, while special traffic arrangements were made for maintaining the flow of vehicular traffic on the M.A. Jinnah Road and adjoining lanes.
Carrying banners and placards, participants chanted slogans against establishment of the AKU board, government's education and media policies, changes in curricula and government measures for promoting a secular culture in the country.
Speaking to the rally at the Regal Chowk, the central president of the IJT, Zubair Gondal, alleged that the government was trying to destabilize the ideological basis of Pakistan by allowing establishment of the AKU board, which he feared would follow the agenda of the West.
"The government is facilitating NGO's and organizations like the Aga Khan Foundation on directives from abroad to prepare and teach their own curricula at local educational institutions, in order to destabilize the Islamic and ideological basis of Pakistan," he alleged. He urged people from all walks of life to support the students in their campaign against secularization.
On the occasion, he read out a questionnaire prepared by the Aga Khan Education Service for classes IX and X, in which several sensitive and controversial questions regarding pre-marital sexual relations were asked from students.
"In addition," he said, "the establishment of private boards like the AKU board will make education much expensive, and only the rich will be able to educate their children," he claimed.
The student leader said the people of Pakistan would not allow any kind education to be given to their children aimed at weakening the country's ideological basis.
He said conspiracies were being hatched to divide Pakistanis on the basis of sects, ethnicity and languages as the US and her allies didn't want them to support their Afghan, Palestinian, Kashmiri and Iraqi brethren.
"They want to teach us books and lessons, which will advise us to mind our own business instead of supporting our suppressed Muslim brothers around the globe," he claimed.
Meanwhile, the Nazim IJT Karachi, Syed Tahir Akbar, warned a local Urdu-language TV channel and a newspaper to refrain from promoting obscenity and vulgarity in the country, saying students and the people of Pakistan were aware of the conspiracies hatched against them through private media channels.
He also criticized the Federal Information Minister, Shaikh Rashid Ahmed, and the Minister of State for Religious Affairs, Amir Liaquat Hussain, for their statements against Ulema and religious leaders and demanded they seek an apology from people.
Other student leaders also spoke. Participants of the rally later dispersed peacefully, while chanting slogans against the government's secularization policy. - PPI
