Pakistan school kids protest against emergency

Pakistan police arrested scores of school students, the youngest being a 12-year-old, who participated in a silent rally in Islamabad to protest against the emergency imposed by President Pervez Musharraf.

With silver and black tape stuck on their mouths and holding placards with slogans like "Justice for justices" and "Free the media", about 100 students braved police batons near the upmarket Jinnah Super market in Islamabad on Monday.

Police arrested 48 of them, who were later released on bail. Samad Khurram, who took part in the protest, said, "Students of various high schools organised a silent protest. When the policemen approached us and asked us to stop, we did and tried to cooperate with them."

"But as we were going back, 600-700 policemen, including women officers, anti-terrorist squad commandos and officers in plainclothes descended and told us they would arrest us because a protest rally was not allowed," Khurram said.

He accused the police of using batons to disperse the children and pushing, dragging and even abusing them before they were shoved into police vans. A large number of girls also participated in the protest, probably the first organised by school children though demonstrations have been organised in several universities and colleges over the past week.

"Most of those arrested are studying in classes 9 to 12, the youngest was just 12 years old!" Khurram said. After the police shoved the students into vans, some lawyers and human rights workers managed to convince them not to arrest more children.

"Even though we agreed to disperse, the policemen baton-charged and arrested us," said another student. Samar Abbas Kazmi, who also braved the baton-wielding policemen, said, "Only boys were arrested."

The students later went to the police station and pleaded with police officials to release their classmates. Police released the students but not before obtaining written assurances from them that they would not participate in future rallies.