LAHORE, Nov 10: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of doctors, teachers and students announced on Sunday that it would observe Monday (today) as a “condemnation day” against “police harassment”.
The city police had issued letters to parents of hundreds of students of city colleges to inform them that their children were involved in “illegal activities”.
Some 125 students of the FC College and 250 of the Government Islamia College Civil Lines were said to have been issued letters and asked to appear before the police concerned.
However, quoting the Lahore SSP, a police spokesman said the students found involved in “illegal activities” had been asked to appear before the police. “There is no harassment at all,” he said.
Meanwhile, JAC chairman Prof.Nazim Husain speaking at a meeting on Sunday condemned the police action.
He said students and their parents were being harassed by the police. The teachers, especially women, were being threatened on phone by the police. “This is being done under orders from higher police hierarchy.”
He, however, announced that the protest rally scheduled for Nov 13 would be taken out from the Punjab University Old Campus at all costs.
Later, the meeting resolved that the JAC would continue with agitation till the acceptance of demands.
The JAC has been protesting countrywide against the constitution of the board of governors in education and health institutions and the Model University Ordinance.
Meanwhile, the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) in a meeting condemned what it termed police harassment. “Attempts to harass parents are shameful,” the meeting said and decided to continue its support to the JAC.
The meeting was informed that Gulberg police on Sunday summoned dozens of students of the FC College and their parents.
Quoting ASP Faisal Rana, the meeting was told that he had asked the parents to refrain their children from participating in agitation.
“If you fail to comply with the orders, cases will be registered against you and your children.”
Advocate Sultan Khan and Mohammad Saddiq, who met the Model Town police SP, were told that cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act had been registered against their sons and FIRs sealed. They would be arrested, if they would participate in the Nov 13 rally, the SP was quoted as saying. IJT’s Lahore Nazim Asad Jamal, in the end of the meeting, said that if any untoward incident took place in the rally, the responsibility would lie with the city government.