Punjab government accused of padding PML-N rally with school girls
The Lahore High Court has dismissed a petition seeking action against the headmistress of Government Model Girls High School, Model Town, and other government officers for taking a bus full of female students to a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) procession in Faisalabad.
Petitioner Muhammad Qasim Cheema, a resident of Faisalabad filed the petition, stating that Pervaiz Akhtar, Executive District Officer Education instructed teachers and staff members of Government Model Girls High School under the supervision of Sajid Hussain, DEO secondary education Lahore, Abdul Majid, Assistant Education Officer, and headmistress Munawar Tabassum to transport female students to sing national and political songs in the PML-N procession at Dhobi Ghat Faisalabad on November 20.
In his petition, Cheema argued that driving the students “like a herd of goats” and forcing them into a political performance from early morning till late night was not only “polluting the minds” of the girls, but was also an objectionable act in the eyes of the public and frustrated parents. The petitioner said that the dropout rate of girls in public schools is already alarmingly high, and such conduct by the respondents may result in parents keeping their children from attending school.
Cheema said that the “political posses” of the respondents had no stake in public sector educational institutions as their children were generally studying abroad or attending elite schools. He argued that being patriotic citizens, it was necessary to fight for the dignity and survival of these public institutions.
The petitioner also submitted that transport and other expenses for the bus trip were arranged by DCO Lahore and Akhtar in consultation with secretary schools.
While calling on the court to declare the act of the respondents as unlawful and unconstitutional, Cheema said a judicial inquiry should be undertaken to fix responsibility of the illegal act. He called for the suspension of Akhtar along with appropriate action under PEEDA Act 2006 against all responsible government functionaries.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial of the LHC dismissed the petition saying that he had no locus standi to file the petition as he was not the aggrieved person.
The PML-N had just days ago been embroiled in a similar accusation, when government school students in Gujranwala were forced by school administrators to take part in a rally at Jinnah Stadium. The students claimed that school administrators threatened to mark students absent if they did not attend the PML-N rally.
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.....@ tribune