The fate of 19,063 students is uncertain is as one school and eight colleges are still serving as lodges of officials of Punjab Police, Frontier Constabulary and Azad Jammu and Kashmir Police. The officials arrived in the capital to guard the two sit-ins prior to the protesters’ arrival on August 11.
The growing frustration and closure of academic activities have forced students to start protesting outside their institutions. On Wednesday, students and parents of Islamabad Model College for Girls (IMCG) Postgraduate (PG) F-7/2, Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) H-9 and IMCB F-8/4 held protests.
“Enough is enough; we cannot wait anymore as our first-term examinations are around the corner and we have yet to attend a class,” said Sumera Khan, a student of first year at IMCG F-7/2 accompanied by dozens of other class fellows and parents.
While they were protesting, buses of Punjab Police were seen leaving the college taking policemen to the sit-in site. Initially, around 40,000 security officials were housed in about 60 schools and colleges and over the time they started vacating them after succumbing to public pressure and following court orders. The institutes were supposed to open on August 11 after the summer vacations.
The situation at some institutes turned ugly when they were reoccupied after brief vacation. At the Islamabad College for Girls F-6/2, the senior section’s building has been vacated but the halls and rooms are still under occupation of police. “They have locked the rooms because security officials claim to have their belongings inside it,” said Fatima Khan, a teacher.
Colleges like IMCB F-10/4, IMCB H-9, IMCG (PG) F-7/2, IMCG F-10/2 and Islamabad Model School for Boys I-10/1 were reoccupied after partial vacation.
The Islamabad Model College of Commerce for Women F-10/3, IMCB F-8/4, IMCB G-10/4, IMCB G-6/2 and IMSB G-5 have yet to be vacated. Following persistent pressure, the Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) has hinted that the occupied institutions could be vacated by Friday.
CADD officials told The Express Tribune that officials vacating the institutions would likely be housed at the Pakistan Sports Complex.
Another official at Federal Directorate of Education admitted, on the condition of anonymity, that allowing security officials to reside in education institutes was a mistake. “We thought it would be for a few days but this is still ongoing,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 25th, 2014.
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