The alleged police action at Government Islamia High School, located in the heart of old Lahore, has been generating a lot of media hype though not exactly on good grounds. According to reports, the pupils and parents were staging a protest demonstration against the government decision to close the school when the police baton charged them injuring two young persons. Given the Punjab Police's reputation for high-handedness and the tender age of the victims, the incident caused a lot of anger and dismay, prompting Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to order an immediate inquiry. As a matter of fact, no one saw the police actually use batons. The students, it now turns out, were injured in a stampede as the police tried to push back the protesters. Fortunately, their injuries were not too serious.
But the issue, which triggered the trouble, was about a serious matter. Contrary to most early reports, the district administration had a vital reason to want to break the protest. According to fresh reports, this was a government school adopted a while ago by a non-governmental organisation, Al-Ghazi Trust, as part of a government scheme to improve school education. After the Peshawar terrorist attack on the Army Public School, the provincial government had directed all educational institutions to adopt certain security measures. Islamia High School did not comply with the directive, and hence was closed due to security concerns. Instead of fulfilling its responsibility the Trust administration instigated parents and pupils to stage a protest to press for reopening. The government therefore cannot be blamed for taking the action it took though, perhaps, it could have handled the situation in a peaceful manner. In the present difficult times security has to take precedence over all other considerations. For once, the Punjab government deserves to be commended for refusing to make any compromises over safety of children. Following negotiations on security arrangements the school has now been handed back to the Al-Ghazi Trust.
The incident highlights flaws in media coverage of spot-news. Needless to say, reality often times has more than one side to it. The protesters side of the story was accepted at face value without looking into the cause that had led to the protest taking an ugly turn. Considering that student activism at high school level is unheard of in this country, it was all the more important to ascertain facts/motives driving the protest. In any case, objective reporting demands that accounts of all involved get due coverage. A check with the city administration would have revealed that there was a valid reason for the school closure. The district administration would not be doing its duty had it allowed the Al-Ghazi Trust to go on with the school routine without putting in place necessary security measures.