LAHORE, March 16: The Islami Jamiat Talaba held a demonstration at the Muslim Town crossing here on Sunday to protest against the reported government decision to return the FC College to a Christian mission.

The demonstrators were carrying banners and placards and raising slogans against the decision.

Lahore IJT Nazim Asad Jamal said the government had taken the decision without waiting for the report of a commission constituted to suggest how to privatize institutions like the FC College.

He said the government had decided to hand over educational institutions to a Christian mission at a time when people were being given into the custody of FBI and CIA.

He said the IJT would not allow this to happen and would take all steps to make the government withdraw its decision.

Earlier, talking to a delegation of FC College students, Jamaat-i-Islami MNA Liaquat Baloch condemned the decision to hand over the college to the Presbyterian Church. The decision was taken without waiting for the recommendations of a related commission and this showed that “decisions are being made somewhere else”, he said.

College students and teachers have formed a Save the College committee, which would meet in its auditorium at 10am on Monday.

The Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association has also called a meeting at the same place on Monday to discuss the issue.

Mutahida Talaba Mahaz secretary-general and MSF-N president Rana Mohammad Arshad has also condemned the decision to hand over the FC College to the church and asked the government to withdraw it or face a province-wide students movement.