The Karachi police on Saturday fired tear gas and baton-charged students who allegedly pelted stones at law enforcers that had gone to the Islamia College to implement an order of the apex court pertaining to it, according to officials and student organisations.
Jamshed Quarters police Station House Officer (SHO) Naveed Soomro said that the college was established on private property whose owners/trustees approached the Supreme Court (SC) to get its premises vacated.
The officer said that the SC gave an order in favour of the “decree-holder” and directed the Sindh High Court (SHC) to end its “occupation”. Soomro said the SHC directed the City Courts to ensure the implementation of the apex court order and hand it over to the SHC nazir.
The SHO said that the police party, along with the court’s bailiff, arrived at the college with senior police and education department officials. He said the bailiff was talking with the college’s principal when certain students allegedly pelted the police with stones. Soomro added that the police resorted to “mild” tear gas shelling the students and baton-charged them to disperse them.
The officer said that after dispersing the students, East Senior Superintendent of Police Syed Abdul Rahim Shirazi, the education department’s secretary for colleges Aleem Lashari and other officials arrived at the spot and engaged the college administration in negotiations to vacate the premises.
In a statement, the Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT) the JI’s student wing said that contingents of the police arrived to get the college vacated, where 400 students were studying.
The organisation said that it was a “conspiracy to end” the academic institute and build a “shopping centre” on its premises. “The students of Karachi are being deprived of education,” said the IJT statement, adding that the police had “failed” to maintain law and order in the provincial capital but it subjected the students to torture.
