Punjab government bows before IJT yet again

The Punjab government has knelt before the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and its student wing the Islami Jamiat Talba (IJT) and permitted them to hold their congregation at the Punjab University (PU) from October 15 to 17, Pakistan Today has learnt. PU IJT Nazim Zubair Safdar said that the PU administration had denied permission to the party to hold their congregation. On the other hand, the PU spokesman said the PU VC never allowed the IJT to hold its congregation. The spokesman did not comment on whether the Punjab government allowed the IJT to hold a congregation or not but said the PU administration would never allow any such political activity.
Sources said that after the government’s permission, PU administration allowed traffic in hostel areas. They said Punjab government allowed IJT to hold its congregation without considering the PU administration’s objections and said that saying that such activities were for students’ welfare and the administration’s objections was baseless.
IJT activists were all set to hold their congregation after overcoming the odds and decorated the university while a grand stage awaited JI leaders where thousands of IJT activists will gather and uphold the JI’s agenda. Dr Mujahid Kamran said the Punjab government and PU administration were hesitating to allow IJT activists to its congregation at the university before, as both parties were not willing to take responsibility for any security malfunction. JI leaders held a meeting with the Punjab chief minister to acquire permission for the congregation to which the CM constituted a committee, consisting of the IGP, Lahore commissioner, additional home secretary, PU VC and a PML-N MNA to review the matter.
IJT claimed that the CM permitted them and only the PU VC denied them to be politically active. To this, IJT activists thrashed a PU security guard brutally, who stopped them from constructing toilets in PU grounds, as the party wanted to build around 400 toilets in the university.
According to the IJT activists, the Punjab CM conceded to their request and some JI leaders held a meeting with him in this regard and invited him to the event.
According to sources, the Punjab government allowed IJT activists to hold their congregation while permitting their political activity would be a rebirth of Mansoora politics at the university. They were, however, requested to avoid anti-state speeches at the event and to not force students to join the congregation.
On behalf of the PU VC, sources said the VC was helpless in that the matter concerned the government and JI and said only the government was responsible in case of any security lapses. He said the university had alerted teachers and students to be careful and to protect their families in the presence of thousands IJT activists from across the country. The VC said nothing could be done when the CM was swayed by IJT’s antics easily and had put the entire university at IJT’s mercy even though he had informed the government about the potential threats. The IJT plans to build around 400 washrooms and a 50-bed hospital on campus. The congregation will include an educational session, a software festival and national as well as international political sessions. According to IJT, activists had prepared for the congregation which included constructing 400 toilets to provide ablution facility to 40,000 people at the same time. A huge gallery had been set up for the media personnel. A renovation committee was working within and outside PU to facilitate IJT’s preparations and fine arts students have made a special model for decorating the campus.