This was stated by JAC leaders Nazim Hasnain, Prof Dr Haris Rasheed, Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid, Majid Wazir, Azam Butt, Rana Liaquat and Kamran Rafi while speaking to participants in a protest demonstration held at the Government Dyal Singh College.
The teachers and students all over the country boycotted classes on Monday after 10am and brought out protest rallies against the policies adopted by the government.
Speaking to the protesters in Lahore, the JAC leaders said the masses had already rejected government policies by electing anti-establishment political parties and politicians. They said the people had rejected the constitution of board of governors in hospitals and educational institutions, privatization of educational institutions under the cover of universities, the Model University Act and appointments on a contract basis.
Nazim Hasnain said the people were fed up with the IMF and World Bank’s anti-Pakistan policies and now they wanted a change. He said the government should respect public opinion and withdraw constitution of boards of governors, implementation of the Model University Ordinance and appointments on a contract basis.
He said the government’s tactics of suspensions, transfers and threats could not stop the protest campaign as it would continue to build up till the government admitted its failure and withdrew the ‘anti-people’ policies.
Holding banners and placards bearing inscriptions against BoGs, the University of Education and Model University Ordinance, the protesters who were manned by heavy police contingent marched from the Dyal Singh College to the Lakshami Chowk where they staged a sit-in for some time. They also chanted slogans against the government and the Punjab governor.
Announcing their future strategy, the JAC leaders said the next protest demonstration would be held at the Government FC College on Oct 17. Besides boycott in educational institutions, a black day would also be observed in hospitals on Oct 17.
JAC spokesman Raja Mahboob Husain said the teachers, doctors and students would continue to hold protest demonstrations on every Monday and Thursday till the acceptance of their public-welfare-oriented demands. He said the teachers, doctors and students also held protest demonstrations and organized rallies in all the major cities of the country. He claimed that the government was harassing the teachers through principals and headmasters and other tactics.