KARACHI, Dec 22: A large number of students on Thursday staged a protest demonstration outside Karachi Press Club against the federal education minister’s announcement regarding deletion of procedure for offering prayers from curricula and other changes in the textbooks.

The call for observing black-day at educational institutions and holding protest demo was given by the Islami Jamiat Talaba to condemn changes in education curricula and recent announcement regarding deletion of procedure of offering prayers from textbooks of Islamiat.

The protestors were carrying placards inscribed with their demands and slogans against Federal Education Minister Lt-Gen (rtd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, education policy of the government, changes in education curricula and other steps being taken on the US behest.

They shouted slogans against the education minister, General Musharraf and vowed to resist any changes in education curricula and bids to change Islamic identity of Pakistan.

Addressing participants of the demonstration, the speakers alleged that the government comprising “local agents” of the US and other western states were trying to secularize the education curricula and the whole country. They said that all such efforts would remain fruitless as students were Islam-loving citizens of Pakistan.

They said that changes in education curricula and deletion of procedure for offering prayers from textbooks had the backing of US President George Bush, British Premier Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. They said that a poem in the textbooks on the “qualities” of US president was also part of the same agenda.

It was stated that students and rest of the nation was very much concerned about anti-Islam policies of the present government and vowed that the government would not be allowed to change Islamic identity of Pakistan.

Earlier, the Black Day was observed at major educational institutes including Karachi University, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Urdu varsity, Dow University of Health Sciences, Dawood College of Engineering and Technology, Government College of Technology, S.M Arts College and D.J Science College.

Rallies were taken out at these educational institutions and students attended classes by wearing black-armbands in protest and vowed to resist all attempts to secularize the education curricula. —PPI