Bilawal slams govt's use of force on protesting teachers in Karachi

KARACHI:

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari criticised on Monday the use of force on teachers in Karachi for the third time in a month.

Primary, secondary and high school teachers faced the police’s wrath when they staged a protest in front of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Monday for permanent jobs and promotions and attempted to march towards Chief Minister House.

They were intercepted by the police who used water cannons and batons to subdue them.

"No police have the right to use force to quell protests unless force is used," the PPP chief said. "Peaceful protest is every citizens democratic right."

He added, "I understand Sindh police are extra independent these days but I expect CM Sindh & GOS to protect democratic norms."

“Around 150 teachers have been arrested and the police have injured dozens others,” Gul Leghari, an office bearer of the primary teachers’ association, said.

“We will not go home until our issues are resolved,” Haji Shafi Mohammad, a senior leader of the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association, said.

“I have served 15 years as teacher. The government earlier promised to promote those who have completed more than 20 years in service to scale 16. The notification was issued, but no one implemented it,” he complained.

He added that more than 21,000 teachers have passed the competitive exam conducted by the National Testing Service (NTS) and Sindh University, but the government is still not giving them permanent orders.

“These teachers have completed their three-year contractual period and the Sindh government, like Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, is supposed to induct them as permanent employees, but this never happens,” he lamented.

Teachers again protest for salary increase, promotions

As part of the protest, some teachers marched from Hyderabad on foot and reached Karachi on Sunday.


Shamsuddin Durrani, one of the teachers who marched from Hyderabad, said, “A society that doesn’t respect teachers cannot develop”. He said the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government and its bureaucrats only resolve issues by making deals.

“Everyone is talking about merit. Now, more than 20,000 teachers have gotten jobs on merit but [the Sindh government] is creating problems for them,” he said.

“We need basic facilities at schools,” said teacher Nasrullah Mazari, who was at the protest and brandished a placard.

Mazari, who is from the Hyderabad division, said that the sole purpose of the protest was seeking permanent jobs, but it also aimed to highlight missing facilities at government schools.

“Billions of rupees have been released by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Union and other donors to make up for the missing facilities, but a majority of schools are still deprived of water, sanitation, boundary walls and furniture.”

Teachers who attended the protest belonged to Karachi, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Larkana, Thatta, Sukkur and Kashmore.

According to the police, nearly two dozen protesting teachers were detained while six others were injured during the clash.

Police officials claimed that the law enforcers attempted to stop the teachers, however, the protesters attacked the police instead of stopping their march, compelling the police to use force.

The injured protesters were shifted to various hospitals for first aid while the detainees were shifted to different police stations of District South.