LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Authorities in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province shut all schools and universities for two days on Friday in an attempt to contain the spread of protests by students over an alleged on-campus rape. The closures in Pakistan’s most populous province affect an estimated 18 million students.

Pakistani police fired tear gas and charged at student protesters who ransacked a college building Thursday, as anger spread over an alleged on-campus rape. Tensions have been high on college campuses since reports about the alleged rape in the eastern city of Lahore went viral on social media,

The visit of India's foreign minister to Pakistan earlier this week was a "good beginning" that could lead to a thaw in relations between the two rivals, former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was quoted as saying by Indian media on Friday.

Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister of Pakistan, said he was not pleased by the ‘long pause’ in the relationship between the two countries.