Judge comes down hard on Cantt boards for sealing schools

Seeks replies about forced closure of private educational institutions

RAWALPINDI:

Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench judge Raheel Kamran of on Tuesday expressed annoyance over the premature closure and sealing of schools, with students and teachers still within the premises in the Chaklala Cantonment area.

Issuing notices to Cantonment Boards Chaklala and Rawalpindi, the judge sought a swift response from those responsible for sealing the said schools on Monday.

He also solicited photos, videos and other related material from private school organisations pertaining to the incident, and stated that if it were proved that the schools were sealed, the executive officer would be fired.

The judge then asked the petitioner representing the All Pakistan Private Schools Association (APPSA) to submit the list of private schools not falling within the limits of Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonments by Wednesday (today), with the petition scheduled to be heard on Thursday (tomorrow).

The petition states that 90% of area currently within the Rawalpindi and Chaklala cantonment areas has been made a part of the two cantonments without paying heed to legalities. It further said that since a number of private schools fall in these areas, the orders for their removal from the cantonment property does not apply to them. The association will also file a contempt of court petition on Wednesday against Chief Executive Officer Chaklala Cantonment Board for forcibly sealing schools.

Read More: Fate of 7,300 educational institutions hangs in balance

With as many as 8,500 schools in 42 cantonments boards across the country in jeopardy, the APPSA has demanded a unanimous resolution in a joint meeting of all the members, including 350 school owners and principals.

Their stance is that to save the future of four million students and livelihood of over 450,000 staff, the President of Pakistan must enforce an amendment in the Cantonment Act 1924 immediately, which should be approved by the parliament within three months.

The APPSA also called for the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice to take note of the situation.

A call for demonstrations in front of the press clubs all over the country has also been given, with a prospective sit-in from Thursday to close major roads in all 42 cantonment board areas also on the cards.

The association is also reportedly considering offering no resistance if cases are filed against owners, students, teachers and non-teaching staff. The authoritative figures in APPSA are not ruling out the ‘Jail Bharo’ campaign either.

The ‘Jail Bharo’ campaign is a method of protesting for a cause, in which protesters voluntarily let themselves get arrested in order to fill the jails.

After the meeting, APPSA President Raja Ilyas and others announced that along with closing the roads from Thursday, they would also take it upon themselves to unseal any schools sealed by the cantonment administration.

“The administration is welcome to freely register cases against us,” they said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 22^nd, 2021.