PM Shehbaz Sharif Bans Use of Islamabad Schools for Security Deployment

What Happened

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has imposed a complete ban on using schools and colleges in Islamabad to accommodate police and security personnel during law and order situations [1, 2]. During a recent meeting regarding Islamabad’s education sector, the Prime Minister stated that educational institutions should be used only for teaching and learning activities [1].

Following this meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office issued written instructions to the Ministry of Education [1, 2]. On Wednesday, the ministry formally communicated these decisions to the Islamabad administration and police [1, 2]. According to the ministry’s letter, the following restrictions apply to institutions operating under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE):

• Buildings, classrooms, and other facilities cannot be used by law enforcement agencies for personnel deployment [1].
• Institutions may not be used for temporary camps or detention facilities [1, 2].
• Facilities cannot be handed over for other operational activities [2].

Additionally, the Prime Minister directed that teachers must not be assigned non-teaching or administrative duties [1]. This includes:

• Election duties [1, 2].
• Census operations and activities [1, 2].
• Household surveys [1, 2].

The ministry has directed that all such duties already assigned to teachers must be cancelled immediately [1, 2]. The official letter was sent to the Islamabad chief commissioner, Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, inspector general of police, interior secretary, and the FDE director general [1, 2].

This decision follows an incident in September where 38 public-sector schools and colleges in Islamabad were closed for periods ranging from one to three weeks to accommodate police personnel [1, 2]. An FDE official reported that police personnel began moving into these institutions on September 24, three days before a scheduled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest march [1, 2]. The schools and colleges were later reopened once the situation was controlled and governor’s rule was imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [2].

Who Is Affected

• Students and teachers in schools and colleges under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) in Islamabad [1, 2].
• The 38 public-sector schools and colleges that previously faced closures [1, 2].
• Law enforcement agencies, who are now prohibited from occupying school premises for operational purposes [2].
• The Islamabad district administration, CDA, and the FDE [1, 2].