On the morning of 7 November 2007 there were student protests against the imposition of Emergency rule by the Military regime. One of the most significant and widely reported protests took place in a relatively unexpected student institution - the Lahore University of Management Sciences, LUMS. This is an institution where most students come from upper "middle class" and elite backgrounds. The students' council of LUMS, which organized this protest rally, and comrades in LUMS invited Comrade Adam Pal, member of the editorial board of Class Struggle, the paper of IMT in Pakistan to speak. He is also a PhD student at the University of Engineering & Technology Lahore.
He was not allowed to enter the university as it was surrounded by Police and university security officials who would not allow anyone, including the media, to enter university premises. However, the comrade managed to enter the university by dodging the Police and security officials.
Inside the rally he was enthusiastically received by the students. His intervention enthused the student gathering with his revolutionary slogans. Afterwards he gave a revolutionary and fiery speech and the rally became agitated with revolutionary slogans being raised with enormous fervor.
The mood of the gathering was electrified. This shows how a situation can be radically transformed with a properly prepared intervention on a Marxist basis.
The Police and security officials panicked and moved in to disperse the rally. It faced a fierce resistance. Later on the police arrested comrade Adam and dispersed the rally with severe baton charging, etc. He was then taken to a Defense Police station and held in lock up.
A large number of female and male students had gathered around comrade Adam after the speech and were highly inspired by the revolutionary message he had delivered.
After his arrest intense pressure mounted on the administration by the students, trade unionists and leading journalists, for his release. Ultimately the regime had to give in to this movement and released Comrade Adam in the wee hours of 8 November.
Ever since, discussion groups have been continuously involved the Marxists of The Class Struggle explaining the present situation and offering perspectives for the movement.
They are trying to organize the students in other universities in Lahore as well and recruit them into the International Marxist Tendency. The newspapers gave an extensive coverage to this protest and there was Editorial in the largest circulated English Daily of Pakistan "The News".
We are attaching this editorial with this report. We will try to keep the website updated with the reports on the latest situation as the protest against this military regime unfolds further.
Editorial of The News on 9 November
Lal Khan
Lahore
09 Nov. 2007