Pakistan: police arrest students for protesting against rape and harassment as mass movement erupts

On 14 October, thousands of students at the Punjab Group of Colleges (PGC) protested in Lahore. The students came out in protest after an incident in which a female student was raped by a security guard at Campus 10 of Punjab College Lahore, according to the protesters. Thousands of students from dozens of campuses of PGC Lahore were joined by students from several other colleges and universities in cities across Punjab and beyond.

The government is trying its best to crush this movement by every means available. On the one hand, a massive media campaign has been launched to propagate the version of events given by the police, the college administration and the government. According to them, no such incident took place; there is no victim, and there is no CCTV footage.

On the other hand, police have been deployed in huge numbers outside all the educational institutions of the province to crush any protests by force. Last week, dozens of students were arrested in several cities and brought before the courts the following day where they were given bail. Meanwhile, all campuses of PGC and of many other institutions, including Lahore College for Women, have been closed until further notice.

[UPDATE: Last night, police raided the residence of student leaders from Inqalabi Communist Party (RCP) and tried to arrest them for supporting and participating in a protest against rape and harassment. The protest was held on Monday in front of the Punjab Assembly in Lahore. The Punjab government has started a vicious crackdown on protesters, arresting hundreds of them in different cities across the country and threatening high school students, including females, and their parents to stop these protests. In this situation, comrades of the RCP in Lahore supported and participated in yesterday’s protest despite threats, intimidations and heavy police presence. We condemn this brutality of the government and appeal to workers and students to extend solidarity with the students!]

Student protests repressed

The college where the incident took place, PGC Lahore, is owned by tzar of private education and media tycoon Mian Amir. As well as running PGC, Mian Amir has a number of other businesses including prominent current affairs channel Dunya News and a newspaper of the same name. PGC itself is run not as an educational institution but as a business from which Mian Amir has earnt billions of rupees. According to the management of this capitalist’s private college, no student had been raped and the students were protesting based on mere rumours.

From day one of the protests, the management of all PGC campuses across Punjab in general and Lahore in particular have threatened the student protestors. The students were told that if they participated in the protests, their education would be terminated. But despite these threats, the students started protesting in and outside different campuses around Lahore on 14 October.

A heavy contingent of armed police was called in to stop these protests, with officers carrying batons and even guns. No such means were mobilised to arrest the perpetrator, but rather to assault those who came to out to peacefully protest against the rape of a fellow student.

The police response to the protests was brutal, with officers attacking students as young as 16. Many videos of this can be seen on social media. As well as outright violence, all kinds of intimidation and harassment has been used against the students. In a video circulating on social media, a police officer can be clearly seen telling the female students to “get out of here, unless you want another ‘incident’ to happen here” – evidently a threat of further sexual violence.

What happened at PGC?

The police has stated in a press conference that “so far we have not received any information about the victim. We have arrested the security guard who was on leave from Sargodha, but no evidence has been found against him.”

After that, a video of a prominent female police officer was released, in which she recites verses from the Quran to create the impression that no such incident happened. The video was also shared on PGC’s Facebook account.

Later, another video of the same female police officer appeared, accompanied by the father and uncle of one of the students. In this video, they said that their daughter’s name is being used on social media, but nothing like that happened to her. They claimed that their daughter fell down a flight of stairs 10 days ago, and that they have her x-rays and doctor’s reports. The same statement was also given by the police in their press conference. In the comments of this video, people criticised the police and PGC.

In another video circulated online, Punjab’s education minister can be seen saying, “I think there has been a rape”. Similarly, the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly said that “according to the Minister for Higher Education, the principal and staff of Punjab College have deleted the CCTV footage”. The education minister of Punjab has also been recorded repeating this. The police have not investigated this claim. 

Later on, chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, came out in support of the college administration and of Mian Amir, and held a press conference in which she told the same story. She even scolded the education minister for supposedly issuing an incorrect statement, although he remains part of her cabinet.

Later on, a video went viral in which information minister and leader of the PML(N), Azma Bhukari, lectured journalists to be obedient during the press conference of the chief minister. She said that they would be placing their jobs at stake if they created a “nuisance”. 

Maryam Nawaz Sharif, declared this to be ‘fake news’ and announced an operation to stop its spread on social media. Subsequently, criminal cases were registered against people posting about this incident on social media and many were arrested. Students, especially female students, are continuously being sent threats demanding they remove all videos posted on social media in which they talk about their fear of rape and harassment, or condemn the police and government.

Maryam Nawaz also used the routine tactic of labelling the protestors as agents of the opposition party, the PTI, and warned that they would be dealt with severely. However, the PTI has officially denied that it has any involvement in the protests and has also come out in support of the businessman and media tycoon Mian Amir.

Meanwhile, thousands of students are adamant that this rape did in fact happen. The students say that they are being intimidated by the administration not to reveal the girl's name. “She was called to the basement and the security guard raped her,” explain a group of students from the same campus. “When the teachers found out, the girl was in a very bad condition, they called for help and she was taken to the hospital. Her screams were audible from the classrooms.”

Students have also been clear that they have no trust in the police, who change their statements for money, as is the daily routine in all police stations throughout the country. Criminals are routinely set free after bribing the police, while innocent victims are punished as criminals.

The trust in the political parties meanwhile, from the PML(N) to the PTI, is at an all time low. So too is trust in the judiciary of Pakistan, which itself is rotten and corrupt from top to bottom. There have even been incidents in Pakistan of judges themselves raping rape victims. The use of police by the wealthy and powerful to silence victims and give themselves a clean appearance is commonplace. Thousands of students are now talking about this on social media.

Videos on social media also show parents of students arguing with college security and management during the protests. They demand to see the CCTV footage, and say that they will end the protest immediately if it is made public. If the rape did not happen, then why is the footage not being shown? Nonetheless, the CCTV footage has not surfaced despite days of protests. It is being claimed that the administration itself deleted the video of the incident.

At the police press conference, officers said that CCTV showed no evidence of the security guard’s guilt. If this is indeed the case, then the police should publish the footage in its entirety.

Throughout this scandal, the attitude of the police and the college management has been utterly inconsistent and contradictory. They are trying to hide the rape, in order to reduce the harm done to Mian Amir's business enterprise, which rakes in billions of rupees in the name of education.

While the students are on the streets demanding justice for the victimised student, the ruling class are fighting a political battle in defence of their own interests. The PTI in particular – the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan – is trying to use this incident for its own purposes. We strongly condemn this cynical behaviour. Imran Khan himself, as Prime Minister, came out in defence of rapists and resorted to victim blaming, saying that women are themselves responsible for rape, as men are not “robots”.

All the major political parties in Pakistan are parties of the ruling class and oppose the interests of the masses. All these parties consider it legitimate to profit from education. Every party in power has taken measures to suppress the student movement and increase student fees. Rape, harassment and crimes against women have risen under the governments of every party and under every military dictatorship. In fact, Pakistan ranks second to last in the index of the plight of women in the world, with only Afghanistan behind it.

Role of the RCP comrades

The comrades of the Inqalabi Communist Party (RCP) have intervened in this movement from the first day and have joined protests in many parts of Lahore and in other cities. In one protest outside FC college in Lahore, comrades raised slogans and argued with police. An interview with a female comrade there went viral and reached more than a million views.

Comrades also initiated efforts to launch a students’ action committee to coordinate these sporadic protests and to focus the strength of all the students in one place. It was a difficult task as the police were continuously following the protestors, and their families were being intimidated. However, comrades were able to hold meetings with representatives of different educational institutes and launch a provisional students’ action committee.

In a meeting it was decided that a joint protest would be held in front of Punjab Assembly in Lahore, bringing students protesting at different places across the city together. Demands were drafted and agreed upon by all representatives. Those demands are given at the end.

Coverage of the Student Action Committee, founded by comrades of the RCP, in  'The News', a Lahore daily / Image: The News

They also appealed to students in other cities to form their own student action committees and coordinate with each other, whilst calling on students to remain peaceful and keep an eye on agent provocateurs who in some places had set properties alight, giving an excuse to the authorities for a further crackdown. These efforts were received with a good response, and in a couple of days a few thousand students got in touch with the committee to get organised.

On the other hand, the police and their agents also started intimidating and threatening the committee to take back its call for protests, warning them that they would be taught a lesson if they refuse. Committee members received threatening phone calls and yet, despite this, they continued to prepare for the protest over the weekend. At one point it seemed that the protest would be big, which led to more pressure by the police on the participants.

On Monday, heavy police were deployed outside all educational institutions so that students would not be able to walk out in large numbers. A large number of police were deployed in front of the Punjab Assembly. Despite this, around 100 students, full of courage and valour, came in protest under the banner of the students action committee and raised slogans against the government and college administration. They called on elected student representatives to form anti-harassment committees on campuses across the country.

Their speeches and slogans were well received by all participants and were covered by the media. The protesters dispersed peacefully but later that night police raided the homes of comrades of the RCP to arrest them and thus stop them from organising these committees any further. The central office of RCP in Lahore was also raided at night, though no arrests could be made at that time.

The protest was covered by the daily newspaper, Dawn, on Tuesday in which the demands of the committee were also published:

“The committee demanded a forensic audit of the CCTV footage from the week during which the alleged rape at the Punjab College was reported, and all the evidence in police custody and action taken so far should be made public. The government should investigate harassment incidents at the LCWU and a report based on all the evidence should be made public.

“The students further demanded that the police officials who assaulted students as well as the officials who gave them orders should be immediately suspended and appropriately punished. They demanded all arrested students should be immediately released and all cases filed against them should be withdrawn.

“They said the arrests of students under the guise of the Cyber Crime Act must be stopped and immediate action should be taken against college administration, teachers, management and staff members who intimidated the students. They said all college accounts should be made public so that students could see where their tuition fees were being spent.

“They demanded that the students should be allowed to form democratically elected student action committees on every campus so that their opinions were included in all decisions made on campus and anti-student actions by the administration, including harassment, could be prevented.

“They demanded that all private educational institutions should be nationalised, ending the commercialisation of education, and free and quality education should be provided at all levels.”

How to fight back

Under capitalism this is neither the first, nor will it be the last, incident like this. Alongside the protest by PGC students, a protest was also held on 14 October at Lahore College for Women University, where another girl was allegedly raped last week.

Every day in this country, countless inhumane incidents such as this take place in schools, colleges, universities, factories and other workplaces, yet the perpetrators often go unpunished. All the institutions of this inhuman state, including the courts, police, media and ruling political parties, always side with the criminals whilst blaming and silencing the victims. There are thousands of examples of state repression in every city, and everywhere the police stations have become a tool for legitimising the atrocities of the powerful.

What is needed is an organised movement to bring out the facts of what happened. The students must immediately elect a leadership of their own and further the protest movement in an organised manner, so as not only to get to the bottom of the incident but also to punish the culprits and their backers – no matter how wealthy they are.

Similarly, students must form their own democratically-elected anti-harassment committees to protect educational institutions from harassment and other forms of violence. Students in each campus should conduct their own elections and form an anti-harassment committee by choosing their representatives. This committee should have representatives (both male and female) from each class.

In this way, with the students of the entire campus organised, any principal, teacher, security guard or student would think twice before committing such heinous acts. In the event of any such incident, the elected bodies would be able to shut down the entire campus and carry out a public investigation.

This event has once again proved that the role of the security officers in educational institutions is only to keep the students in fear. Therefore, security on campus should also be organised by student committees.

These committees would not only take action on internal campus matters but should also hold a referendum on student fees! An increase of even one rupee in fees should not be possible without the consent of the committees.

This work should have been organised through students’ unions, but they have been banned since the 1980s at the time of dictator Zia-ul-Haq. To this day the ruling class does not dare to lift this ban. The reason for this is that they are afraid of the student movement. Therefore, we believe that the students must demand the restoration of the students’ unions. Instead of simply waiting for this, they should go ahead and conduct their own elections.

Recently the people of ‘Azad’ (‘free’) Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan have done exactly this. In Kashmir, people have formed a ‘Awami action committee’ against electricity bills. There are elected representatives of the people to these committees. The same thing has happened in Gilgit-Baltistan.

This same process has taken place internationally, during recent protest movements in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Students, workers and peasants unite!

While the recent protests are against rape and harassment, there is also a palpable anger among the students against inflation, unemployment, student fees and other issues. They feel immense hatred towards the ruling class and the rich. High electricity bills are also a source of great outrage. This is why in these protests, even 16-year-old students are raising serious slogans.

Members of the Inqalabi Communist Party – the Pakistani section of the Revolutionary Communist International – have played an active role in the protests and have noticed a clear change in the attitude among these college students. The seriousness of the students is a message to the ruling class that a significant rebellion is about to take place.

As the current protests are taking place, thousands of government schools in Punjab are being sold. Teachers, students and their parents across the entirety of Punjab are protesting against it. Similarly, in ‘Azad’ Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Pashtun areas and Sindh, people are currently protesting against state oppression and demanding basic democratic rights.

Workers’ wages are being cut in various factories and government institutions such as railways, the Electricity Department, the health department, etc. This has sparked immense anger and protests are already being planned. The students need to connect with all of these layers with the battle cry that an injury to one is an injury to all!

Students, workers and peasants must fight together against all the capitalists, landlords, judges, bureaucrats, generals and politicians who are responsible for the inflation, unemployment, harassment, fee hikes, rising bills, etc. that plague Pakistan. It is the policy of all the political parties to maintain their lives of luxury by placing the burden of the crisis on the workers, peasants and students.

What is clear is that we need a revolutionary party with a programme to end the system in its entirety and not just the symptoms of its decline. All the protest movements that are ongoing at the moment are separate from each other. The job of connecting them on one platform can only be carried out by a revolutionary communist party which transcends all divisions of race, language, religion etc. and instead organises the masses on a class basis. 

The Inqalabi Communist Party believes that as long as the wealth is under the control of a handful of capitalists and landlords in Pakistan – as long as the capitalist system is in place – then these capitalists and landlords will continue to control politics and the profit motive will continue to dominate ahead of basic needs such as education. Even heinous acts like harassment exist only thanks to the capitalist system, because it is the capitalist system that perpetuates the oppression of women down to the present. The police, army, judiciary and the media are all under the control of the capitalists and they exist in order to protect their interests.

We have to do away with the capitalist system of banks, multinational companies, courts and government officials through a socialist revolution in this country.

The current struggle of the students is just one step towards this revolution, but it is a step in the right direction.