LAHORE, Dec 4: An email which detailed the lodging of FIRs against some Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) faculty and students created panic on campus on Monday evening.

Police sources, however, insist that the FIRs were in fact registered on Nov 10 and 21 but had not been acted upon. The charges related to wall chalking and disrupting public order.

A police source said that the panic spread after the SHO of Defence-B police station visited the campus and told students not to attend any protest, as they already had FIRs lodged against them

The source said the police presence outside the campus was a show of force intended to intimidate the students.

Prof Rasul Baksh Raees, Prof Osama Siddique, Prof Asim Sajjad, and former lecturer Farah Haque as well as Saad Latif, president of the students committee, were named in the FIRs. They are expected to appear before a magistrate tomorrow (Dec 6).

Speaking from campus, Rasul Baksh Raees told Dawn: “I was away from campus and returned at around 4 o’clock when a colleague informed me of the news.

“They’ve not arrested us as yet. I feel more safe and secure inside the LUMS campus. I think I’ve been targeted because of what I’ve written in my columns and the speeches I made to students after the emergency in which I talked about the constitution.”

Raees said the support was pouring in. “Whatever I have done, I have done in good faith and for the good of this country.”

A student leader told Dawn: “This was expected. The people they’ve issued warrants against are people we respect and the reaction is going to be massive.”

On Tuesday night, students held an emergency meeting to discuss their next moves. One student present reported that sit-ins would be held today (Wednesday) as well as an on-campus demo. — Staff Reporter