LAHORE: In full uniform police constable No. 1751, Nasiruddin, came forward on Tuesday [Feb 11] to court arrest along with 50 others. Among the total of 51 persons who marched into the police cordon on the mall were five scheduled caste members. … An impressive demonstration by Muslim women took place in front of the residence of the Education Minister, who has made derogatory statements against the students of Islamia College. The women’s procession then marched towards the Female Jail where Begum Shah Nawaz and Mumtaz Shah Nawaz are detained. The processionists shouted League slogans in front of the jail. Begum Shah Nawaz and Mumtaz Shah Nawaz responded from within.

At the meeting outside the Mochi Gate when Nasiruddin declared that he was joining the popular movement for the restoration of civil liberties, people raised sky-rending slogans. Chaudri Salimullah led a huge procession on Tuesday. Over 2,000 Muslim women in pardah also marched in a procession towards Government House. No arrests were made. Keenly conscious of their responsibilities to the necessity of preserving communal harmony, the Muslim majority of the Punjab have taken every precautionary step to [prevent] the movement from deteriorating into an inter-communal fight.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2022