LAHORE: The Progressive Students’ Collective (PSC) organised a student solidarity march from Nasser Bagh to the Punjab Assembly on Thursday.

The march raised demands, including the restoration of student unions, addressing the institutional causes behind rising student suicides, establishment of anti-harassment committees on campuses, withdrawal from the so-called Gaza Peace Board, and the release of all political prisoners across the country. Students from various educational institutions of Lahore, along with individuals from different walks of life, participated in the march.

The march began at 1pm from Nasser Bagh and reached the Punjab Assembly at 4pm.

On reaching the Punjab Assembly, PSC’s cultural wing, artist assembly, performed a theatre play, followed by a monologue titled “Lalkar” (The Call) presented by the head of artist assembly, Laiba Imran. The performances highlighted the issues faced by students in universities, particularly female students.

PSC Central Secretary General Eqbal Khan said that an oppressive system prevailed across the country and a similar authoritarian structure existed on campuses whose purpose was just to control the students through fear. He demanded the immediate end to the securitization of educational institutions, stating that no student could study under the shadow of a gun.

Qazi Shehryar, chief editor of The Students’ Herald, said the students were currently facing numerous issues on campuses, including high fees and harassment.He said paying fees had always been difficult for poor students, the current situation had made it nearly impossible but the government was still increasing fees further and privatising educational institutions.

PSC spokesperson Sara Ali said that incidents of harassment against female students on campuses were increasing day by day yet there was no proper institutional mechanism to address the issue.

She said these problems persisted because students lacked representation in decision-making bodies. Therefore, they demanded the immediate establishment of anti-harassment committees on every campus. PSC Central Organiser Ahsan Javed, a student of the University of Lahore, said the government was continuously privatising educational institutions, and private institutions operated like mafias.

Former PSC Vice President Hammad Kakkar and PSC Central President Ali Abdullah Khan also spoke

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2026