The Lahore Transport Company (LTC) resumed normal aTuesday, a day after they were suspended when Punjab University students attacked several buses.
LTC Operations Manager Faisal Nisar said that 10 buses and five vans had been damaged on Monday, including a bus which was completely burnt. Three buses had their rear and forward screens smashed, while six suffered minor damage in the form of punctured tyres or lost keys.
Most of the incidents occurred on Wahdat Road or University Road, the spokesman said. Five vans were damaged near the City railway station.
Nisar said that the LTC was in close contact with the police and had prepared a plan to protect its vehicles in any future such incidents.
On Tuesday morning, he said, some 200 students gathered at Thokar Niaz Beg whom they suspected would hinder the operation of buses. Police were called to the site and they dispersed the students. He said that patrolling had also been increased.
LTC Chairman Khawaja Ahmad Hassaan in a statement condemned the attacks on buses by students, saying that such incidents deterred foreign investment.
He urged parents and teachers to teach students about the importance of rule of law.
Dr Aisha Ghose Pasha, an economist and director of the Institute of Public Policy, said that students had a responsibility to choose appropriate ways and forums to express their views.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2013.