KARACHI, Aug 7: Proceedings of City Council were disturbed and subsequently adjourned on Wednesday when members belonging to Awam Dost, Al-Khadim and Gharib Nawaz panels staged a walkout after accusing Nazim Karachi of siding with a powerful group, who with the help of police, was trying to occupy the building of a secondary school in Shah-Faisal Town.

The House resumed discussion on the report of the chairperson, primary schools education committee to discuss the condition of educational institutions in the city. In the meantime, Siddique Rathore referred to a protest demonstration held on a previous day outside the council hall by the residents of Siddique Goth, Rafa-i-Aam Society, against police excesses on students and teachers, with an objective to evacuate the building forcibly.

Siddique Rathore challenged the findings of Muslim Pervaiz and informed the House that there was no cattle-pen on the premises of the building and said the 2,783 square yard school was established in 1961, whereas the land was sold in 1973 which shows some mala fide intentions of the Indus Pharma who purchased it while the school was functioning.

He further stated that Indus Pharma won a court battle against the secretary of education on May 29 and he failed to file an appeal, whereas on the first of this month sleuths of Al-Falah police, equipped with tear-gas shells, tried to evacuate the school-building with about 700 students still inside it.

Siddique Rathore informed the House that the Al-Falah police station itself was built on encroached land and had lost the case some years ago but no action had been taken on it, while they were over-efficient in getting the school-building vacated.

However, he added that police officials have informed him that all actions had been taken under immense pressure from the city government

Soon after him, Saeed Ghani took to the stage and raised queries at the fact-sheet provided by Indus Pharma which stated that the case was filed in 1988 against secretary of education while they bought the land in 1973, whereas the case is against secretary of education, therefore, he should have been approached to get the school evacuated. Use of tear-gas on school-children is an inhuman act.

His speech was disturbed by a point of order raised by the House members who stated that discussion may be limited to the report by Shazia Bano and these matters can be discussed later.

Enraged members belonging to Awam Dost panel, Al-Khadim group and Gharib Nawaz panel later staged a walk out in protest.

Later a press conference was held by the members of these groups where leader of Awam Dost Najmi Alam said that every speaker had the right to express his opinion but since time was given to leader of Al-Khidmat group to present a report on this school, similar opportunity should have been provided to Saeed Ghani.

Chairperson of secondary education committee Mumtaz Wasi said the matter be referred to House committee on education instead of making another committee for it.

Razzaq Siddique, the city council member from Lyari Town, an eye-witness who saw the police action on Aug 1, described the plight of students and teachers at the time of police action on the school. He said that the police, accompanied by representatives of Indus Pharma wanted to get possession of the land.

When asked whether he had prior information about the operation, he said that it was a coincidence that visited the area to meet his friends on the day when the incident took place.

Kafeel Jafri, Nazim of Rafa-e-Aam UC Shah Faisal Town, totally disapproved the version of Muslim Pervaiz and said he had studied in that school since he had been living in the area for more than 30 years and the cattle-pen under discussion was removed about three years ago.

Earlier, at the start of session, the House approved a resolution presented by Saeed Ghani deploring the attack on missionary school in Muree which killed innocent Pakistanis and condoled their death.—PPI