Pakistan province shuts education institutions after violent protests over alleged rape

LAHORE — Authorities shut schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province on Oct 18, following the most violent student protests in the country in recent years over the alleged rape of a student on campus, officials said.

The protests have spread since Oct 14, with participants alleging that a female student was raped by a security guard on the campus of a private college chain in the city of Lahore.

Hundreds of protesting students demanded action by the government, but officials say they have not yet found any evidence of such an incident, with some blaming social media for spreading fake news.

Dozens of students, police and college employees have been injured since Oct 14 as protesters clashed with law enforcement as they rampaged through several of the campuses in the chain, police said, adding hundreds of students had been arrested.

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All educational institutions will remain closed on Oct 18, an order issued by the Punjab government and seen by Reuters, said. No official reason was given.

"We have investigated it thoroughly — no such incident happened," Lahore police chief Bilal Saddique Kamyana told a news conference on Oct 17, adding that no complainant had come forward on the matter.

Despite official denials, anger has grown in Pakistan, particularly on social media.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, in a press conference, said the incident was fake news being spread by the party of political rival Imran Khan, who has been in jail since 2023.

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Nawaz, the daughter of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said a number of social media accounts, including ones affiliated