Lessons in squatting: Landlord using school as cattle shed

Zahoor turned out 48 students from the girls primary school.

BAHALWALPUR:

A local landlord has seized a girl’s primary school for six months and using it as his cattle fold.

According to education officials, the accused landlord and former councillor Malik Zahoor had taken over the school nearly half a year ago and had refused to give up the premises despite repeated protests by residents in the community.

Zahoor forced out the students as well as female teachers and the teachers said that they were now conducting classes at a nearby mosque. “He and his cronies came with guns and simply turned us all out. Then he boarded up the windows and within a few days his cows and buffaloes were being housed in class rooms,” said Moza Uch Gillani primary school teacher Lubna Munawwar.

School officials said that at one point the Bahawalpur district coordination officer (DCO) raided the school with a team of government officials to force Zahoor to vacate the premises. “He still returned a week later,” she said. Government Primary Girls School, Moza Uch Gillani, Uch Sharif is located nearly 75 km from Bahawalpur and Zahoor and his men have also been accused of threatening the parents of students for opposing him and demanding that the school be restored. “Zahoor is using the classrooms to store fodder and firewood and his men have been seen toting guns on campus. At first people protested but now they are too scared,” former school guard Gul Shehzan said.

Local resident Arshad said that there were 48 students enrolled in the school and the school staff consisted of two female teachers. “They all had to move to nearby mosque to continue teaching the students or these girls would have missed an entire year,” he said. Arshad said that classes were being held in the mosque regularly ever since Malik had occupied the school.

Basheer, a parent of one of the students, told The Express Tribune that the landlord held great influence in the area. “People are terrified of him and that is why even the DCOs arrival didn’t make much of a difference. He knew that he could re-take the land the moment he left and no one would oppose him,” he added.

DCO Dr Naeem Rauf paid a surprise visit to the school on Monday afternoon and issued orders to his deputy to clear the school and to seize the landlord’s livestock. “Zahoor has been issued repeated warnings but he has ignored them. Now police needs to take action against him,” he said. He directed that the authorities restore the school as soon as possible so that the students could continue their education.

Residents said that the school building was constructed nearly 10 years ago and had been occupied several times. “No case has been registered in the local police station against Zahoor. What is to stop him from coming back?” Basheer said.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2011.