The Punjab government has declared a holiday today for all educational institutions, including private and public schools, universities, and colleges.
According to an official announcement, all Punjab schools and colleges remained closed, and Section 144 was imposed across the province for October 18 and 19.
The directive bans all protests and rallies to maintain law and order and protect lives and property. This measure follows a series of protests triggered by the alleged rape of a college student in Lahore, which stirred widespread unrest.
Tension escalated as students organized multiple demonstrations across various cities, fueled by social media coverage of the incident.
Earlier today, police detained over 250 individuals linked to violent student protests in Rawalpindi’s Dhoke Gangal area. The students, protesting the alleged incident, stormed a hostel, vandalized property, and clashed with the police, who responded with tear gas and rescued trapped staff and teachers.
Read: Punjab Imposes Section 144 to Prevent Protests and Ensure Safety
The violence peaked on Tuesday in Lahore, injuring more than two dozen people, including four police officers.
In response to the escalating chaos, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced on Wednesday a crackdown on the spread of misinformation about the rape case.
In a related development, 274 people were charged with vandalism at the Shalamar Campus of a private college in Lahore. The first information report (FIR) names 24 individuals directly, with another 250 unidentified suspects. The FIR details that the accused attacked police with petrol bombs, and several motorcycles were set ablaze during the protests.
