Police use water cannon as students resist evacuation of Islamia College

A chaotic situation occurred at the Islamia College on Saturday as anti-riot cops who had gone there to get the building the vacated on court orders faced resistance from protesting students.

As some students pelted the cops with stones, the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse them. Four students were also arrested during the police operation but they were later released.

Jamshed Quarters Station House Officer (SHO) Naveed Soomro said that on Saturday morning, a head bailiff from East district and sessions courts visited the police station with an execution order from the court regarding evacuation of the Islamia College.

The order, which was directed to the head bailiff, read: “Office is directed to repeat writ of possession through Head Bailiff along with strong police force and the Rangers contingents if necessary. In this regard, the head bailiff is required to identify the specific person along with role if any causes any obstruction or resistance to him in execution of the writ of possession.”

The order further said that in case the head bailiff was unable to hand over the possession of the college to a private party, he was at least required to seal the premises as an interim measure.

SHO Soomro explained that he informed higher authorities, including the East SSP, regarding possible resistance and reached the college along with the head bailiff and heavy contingent of police who were also provided with a water cannon.

The officer said that according to the court order, the Islamia College was running on a private land and its case was sub-judice for the last 40 years. He added that after the court verdict, the possession of the college would be handed over to the trustees who had won

the case.

According to the SHO, some students and staff of the college did not let the head bailiff acquire the possession of the college and pelted the cops with stones.

The officer said that now, the police awaited court orders as the next hearing of the case was to take place soon.

East SSP Abdul Rahim Sherazi also spoke to the media and said that we had arrived at the college to implement the court orders. He added that negotiations were going on, and sealing or handing over of the college would happen soon.

The Islamia College is among Pakistan’s oldest educational institutions. It was nationalised under the martial law regulations in 1972 and since then, the Sindh education department has been managing its affairs.

Currently, the land houses a college complex where four colleges are running. A principal of one of the colleges said they had not received a copy of the court order. "How can we vacate the building without a hard copy of the court order.”

Secretary’s version

Sindh College Education Secretary Abdul Aleem Lashari was of the view that the land of the Islamia College was owned by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation which had given it to the Islamic Education Trust on a 99-year lease.

Talking to the media at the college, he said the Islamic Education Trust had not been able to produce the ninety-nine-year lease documents in any court, which showed that the claim of the trustees was false.

He added that the future of children was dear to the government of Sindh and thousands of children studying at the college complex could not be left alone.

He explained that on the order of the Supreme Court, the education department had been depositing the rent of the colleges in the Sindh High Court.

He said the dispute over the land was between the KMC and Islamia Education Trust, and on the orders of the Supreme Court, the school and college education departments of Sindh became parties in the Sindh High Court in the case.

Lashari said the apex court had ordered that all the parties would not take any initiative until a final decision of the Sindh High Court, but the trust approached a subordinate court.

He clarified that the next hearing had been fixed for November 24 and the Sindh government would obey the court decision.