School ‘barracks’: Capital admin told to get schools vacated

At least 16 schools still housing cops; PTI challenges Section 144 imposition.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Administration to have 16 schools occupied by police personnel vacated within three days.

The schools are currently in the use of police personnel, mostly from Punjab, who have been deputed in the city to beef up security in the wake of the ongoing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-ins.

IHC judge Athar Minallah directed Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Mujahid Sherdil to get the ‘occupied’ schools vacated within three days, or strict action will be taken against those responsible.

The court issued the order on a petition filed by local traders. When the court resumed the hearing, the ICT Administration failed to submit a compliance report to the court, which had been ordered in the last hearing.

The deputy commissioner informed the court that only 16 schools were in the use of the police personnel. He claimed that 27 schools were in their use earlier, but some of them have since been vacated. The judge adjourned the hearing till September 22 and directed the administration to submit a compliance report.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, the same bench ordered Sherdil and PTI leader Asad Umar to form a strategy to avoid misuse of power by the government and sit-in participants.

During the hearing of a petition filed by the PTI challenging the imposition of Section 144, the petitioner said that the restriction on public assembly was only imposed to harass their workers.

The court directed the police not to arrest or detain anyone without the prior approval of a magistrate.   PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi informed the court that they have no trust in the administration and added that the police were still arresting their workers.

The judge noted that the court could suspend Section 144 if the police continued to arrest political workers.

Earlier, the court ordered that the magistracy system should be reactivated in the capital to protect the rights of the protesters.

Eight more schools vacated

Eight more schools occupied by the police have been vacated during the last two days amid the outcry from parents and students.

The ICT Administration officials informed the Capital Administration and Development Division that 10 more schools and colleges will soon be vacated.

According to CADD officials, almost 31,636 students are enrolled in 19 educational institutes. Majority of them have not been able to resume their studies after the summer vacation because of the 27 buildings being occupied by police and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel called in from Punjab, Azad Kashmir and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to control for security in the wake of the PTI and PAT dharna (sit-ins).

The schools were vacated after the civil society and parents of students exerted pressure on the government and held protest at different places including Islamabad Model College for Girls F-10/2 and Islamabad Model College for Boys G-10/4. The students urged the authorities to reopen the schools and colleges.

A committee, formed at Federal Directorate of Education, was also constituted in this regard. The committee included heads of institutes to assess the damages done to school and college buildings following the withdrawal of security personnel. After the institutes are vacated final claims will be sent to the Ministry of Interior.

According to CADD, the other occupied institutes will soon be vacated by the security personnel.

State Minister for Education, Trainings and Standards in Higher Education Balighur Rehman in this regard said that all educational institutes in the federal capital would be opened soon.

Talking to media outside the Parliament House on Friday, he said “The interior ministry is making alternative arrangements to house police personnel.”

The schools and colleges still occupied include Islamabad College for Girls F-6/2; Islamabad Model College for Boys (IMCB) F-10/4; IMCB H-9; Islamabad Model College for Girls (Postgraduate) F-7/2; IMCG (Commerce) F-10/3; IMCB, F-10/3; IMCB, F-8/4; IMCB, G-10/4; IMSG, G-6/2; IMSB G-6/4; IMCB G-62; IMCG, G-9/2; IMCB G-9/4; IMSB F-8/3; IMCB I-10/1; IMCB I-10/2 and IMSB G-5.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2014.