Educational institutes to remain closed across Punjab on Monday, Tuesday

LAHORE: All educational institutes across Punjab will remain closed for two days in light of the Islamabad operation and the ensuing protests countrywide, the provincial minister for education announced on Sunday.

According to Punjab Minister for Education Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, all private and state-run educational institutes in the province will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday, keeping in view the law and order situation after Islamabad operation.

Protesters belonging to a religious group continued to stage sit-ins and block roads in Lahore, Karachi and various other cities after security forces started an operation to disperse the Islamabad sit-in on Saturday.

Protests held in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resulted in at least one death and left dozens injured, after 250 injuries were reported in Islamabad during clashes between police and protesters, as authorities sought to disperse the sit-in with the aid of tear gas shelling and water cannons.

In Lahore, protests took an ugly turn yesterday when demonstrators blocked major roads such as Mall Road and set vehicles on fire. They also blocked railway tracks near Shahdara Chowk.

Shahdara Chowk, Mall Road remain blocked today.

Protesters also blocked roads and faced off with security forces in Multan, Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Jhelum, Rahim Yar Khan and other cities.