Pakistan’s Punjab shuts educational institutes amid student unrest

Students throw stones toward police during clashes as they protest over an alleged on-campus rape in Punjab, in Rawalpindi on October 17, 2024. (AP)

• The protests first broke out in Lahore last week after social media reports suggested a student had been raped in the basement of a women college campus
• The police, college management and the provincial government have said that no victim has come forward and blamed online misinformation for the unrest

ISLAMABAD: Authorities in Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province have closed all educational institutes for today, Friday, amid widespread student protests over reports of a college campus rape.
The protests first broke out in the provincial capital of Lahore last week after social media reports suggested a student had been raped in the basement of a Punjab College for Women campus in the city.
The police, college and provincial government have said that no victim has come forward and blamed online misinformation for the unrest, but the protests have since spread to campuses across Lahore as well as Rawalpindi and other cities.
“All the public and private sector colleges and universities in Punjab shall remain closed on Friday, October 18,” the Punjab higher education department said in a notification on Thursday night.
Separately, the school education department ordered all public and private schools shut across the province on Friday.
On Thursday, more than 350 people were arrested in Rawalpindi, which neighbors the federal capital of Islamabad, on charges of damaging public property and engaging in arson, according to the police. Teams have been set up for more arrests.
“Special teams will also identify those inciting mischief on social media,” the police said on X.
The demonstrators, mostly male students, smashed windows and burned school buses at campuses in Lahore and have also clashed with police at many of the demonstrations, accusing authorities of a cover-up.
“They’ve bribed the government and top officials to cover up the truth, just to protect their institution’s reputation,” said a 19-year-old student protesting in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
“This is not fake news — it’s 100 percent real,” added Inshai, another 19-year-old demonstrator, who did not want to give her last name.
The protests reflect a deep concern among Pakistani students over safety, harassment and sexual assault against women at educational institutions as well as their mistrust in authorities.
Police arrested a security guard who was identified in online posts but said no victim had come forward and that they had not been able to verify the rape allegation.
“The incident does not exist,” Arif Chaudry, the Lahore director of the private Punjab Group of Colleges that runs the women’s college, said on Wednesday. “I will resign and I will leave this profession and stand with the students if the incident took place.”
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has said that those spreading “false posts” will be punished.
— With additional input from AFP