The Commissioner Lahore, Muhammad Abdullah Khan Sumbal has reversed the decision of the local authorities to completely shut-down FC College and use its grounds as parking spaces for the much anticipated Independence Cup International Cricket Tournament.
The reversal came after a storm of protests and agitation flooded social media following the authorities decision to relieve the Forman Christian College administration of their powers. The authorities planned to completely shut down the college as part of their larger security plan during the tournament. The college had been previously scheduled to reopen for Fall Semester on Monday 12th September. The unwillingness of the administration to shut-down the college during classes had been duly communicated to the local authorities. The administration also informed the authorities of its concerns regarding the environmental impact and security issues. They feared a disruption in case vehicles were allowed to be parked all over the sports grounds and near the residential area, which houses faculty.
On 9th September however, the local authorities decided to assume control of the historic institution and announced that the FCC grounds would be used as a parking space. The entire campus, in this case, would be shut down. Recognizing the need to comply with the decision of the authorities, no matter how unfair, the administration later announced compliance. The government’s decision was to be respected and the university would be closed for an entire week.
After news of the takeover broke out, students, faculty, and alumni banded together on social media and launched an organized campaign of peaceful protest against this policy.
One of the main arguments of the protestors was regarding the private nature of FCC. They protested that this protects the college from being ‘taken-over’ by the government in such circumstances. They also insisted on the detriments a complete shut-down of the college would have on students and faculty that are engaged in long-term research projects. There was a specific concern for the people living on campus as well. This included the foreign faculty and the hostelites whose movement would be restricted for over a week. Many FCC students from far flung areas such as Karachi, Quetta, and Chitral would have had to reschedule their trips and wait another week for the resumption of classes. An online petition was also started. The petition aimed to highlight the grievances of the FCC community to as many people as possible.
The petition gathered a stunning 1000 signatures in just 2 days. Many news channels covered the story as well.
On Sunday 10th September, the local authorities decided to reverse their decision. They stated that the pressure due to agitations on social media prompted them to consider the administration’s viewpoint.
This is being hailed as a historic decision on the part of the local authorities who have displayed rare democratic maturity by respecting public opinion. Students and faculty rejoiced at the news of the reversal. They showered admiration on those who decided to use a peaceful protest to highlight their grievances. There was also renewed optimism in the ability of the government to function in a truly democratic manner in Pakistan.
The final decision did, however, affect the resumption of regular studies in the college. This was because the previous decision to shut down the semester had already rescheduled classes to start one week later. Regardless, the students and faculty are happy and indebted to the local authorities for their patient and reasonable response. The cricket tournament is due to begin on Tuesday. All three matches are scheduled to be played in Lahore’s historic Gaddafi Stadium. There is widespread jubilation for the resumption of international cricket in Pakistan. It comes with renewed hopes for the improvement of infrastructure and policy planning by the PCB and relevant authorities in the future.