Schools in the Pakistani province of Punjab were closed on Friday, October 18, after a wave of student protests, following messages on social media denouncing the alleged rape of a student in a secondary school, accusations denied by the school’s management. The events allegedly took place in the basement of a private establishment for girls last weekend. The police, the affected institute and the local government said that no victims had come forward and claimed that it was an online disinformation campaign.
This closure measure adopted on Thursday by the authorities of Pakistan’s most populous province, and which does not mention either the alleged violations or the demonstrations, extends from kindergartens to universities and affects at least 26 million students.
Police arrested a security guard identified through online posts, but said no rape victims had come forward and were unable to corroborate the allegations. “The incident does not exist. “I would resign, leave this profession and go protest alongside the students if it had really happened.”Arif Chaudry, principal of the high school cited in the messages, said during a news conference Wednesday. The authors of the messages published on social networks denouncing the alleged violation will be “punished”Maryam Sharif, head of the local government, said on Wednesday.
Almost 400 people arrested
But students accused authorities of covering up the matter and demonstrations have since spread to Rawalpindi, a large popular city on the outskirts of Islamabad, after starting in Lahore. During this rally there were clashes with the police, according to journalists present.
the police have “380 students and other protesters were arrested”a Rawalpindi police officer said on Friday, adding that they were involved in “acts of vandalism and fire”. In Lahore, protesters, mostly young men, smashed windows of school buildings and burned school buses on campuses across the city.
These demonstrations reflect the growing concern about sexual violence reported by female students in educational establishments and the distrust of young Pakistanis towards the authorities. In the country, student unions were banned in 1984.
