Students protest closure of Islamia College, police try to evict building

KARACHI (92 News) – The students of Karachi’s Islamia College have on Friday staged a protest demonstration against the closure of their college on the court orders. The protesting students closed the road creating a severe traffic mess in the area besides setting ablaze tyres. The protest erupted after huge contingents of police reached the spot and tried to evacuate the college building from students. Police were complying the orders of provincial government to seal the building and hand it over to the trustees. The police also used water cannon to disperse the protesting students. Earlier last year, after Aisha Bawany College, the government decided to hand over the control of Islamia College to the Islamic Education Trust but the proposal infuriated a large number of students and staff, who demonstrated their opposition. The students had expressed their concerns, saying that handing over control of the college to a ‘third party’ puts their future at stake. “The college premises are only to be used for educational purposes. We will not allow any commercial activities on our campus,” they warned.