Yesterday around 35 students and a couple of faculty members of this university, on their own decision, went to the Lahore High Court(LHC) to register their protest against the suspension of civil and political liberties. For those who dont yet know about the proceedings here is a synopsis.

After raising slogans against the current regime, more than a thousand lawyers tried to move on to the mall road to protest. The police outside the main gate baton charged the lawyers and tear gased them. Some lawyers hurled back stones in retaliation. In response, a major tear gas-baton charge operation took place which forced everyone to take refuge inside buildings such as the cafeteria, bar hall, medical centre, and the library.

The police, breaking all rules and laws, proceeded inside the LHC premises and in a brutal assult broke into each and every building one by one, breaking doors and windows, and beat up anyone they say including ladies and elderly lawyers. Two of our students were kicked, slapped, and roughed up during this operation. Despite Dr. Pervaiz Hassans insistance that the police cannot enter into a medical facility no matter what, abusive plainclothes and baton weilding police broke down the door and entered. Dr Pervaiz Hassan was dragged out. The brave man was arrested defending the seriously injured people inside.

Meanwhile most of the LUMS groups was inside a tiny room in the medical centre after barely escaping baton charging fanatics by mere feets in the bar hall. After arresting Dr. Pervaiz Hassan, the policemen broke down the door to our room. After long protests, we were finally let out, forced to raise our hands as if we were prisoners of war and led out while policemen standing around threw verbal abuses at us. However, once the media got hold of the fact that we were students, it created a weird buzz that resulted in us standing on one side of the main gate. This happened momments before all of us were loaded into vans with the lawyers.

The concessions given to us did not change the fact that many already injured and bleading lawyers were being dragged and beaten brutaly infont of our eyes even after being arrested. The police also hit an ex lady judge of the high court on the head with a baton and then later did not even let her treat it in the medical centre. According to conservatice estimates more than half of the lawyers present were arrested.

It was a sad and shameful day for the country!