Police once again rain batons, teargas on protesting teachers

CM approved regularisation of NTS-qualified teachers earlier in the day<br /> <br /> \

KARACHI: After baton-charging protesting sugar cane farmers and political workers on Wednesday, police in Karachi used extreme force to stop a group of protesting teachers from attempting to march towards Bilawal House on Thursday.

Sixty teachers were taken into custody outside the Karachi Press Club and were later released. The protest had entered its 11^th day and a large contingent of police was stationed to halt the teachers’ progress.

Surprisingly, the protest came after Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah approved the regularisation of 21,000 teachers who had been appointed through Iqra University and Sindh University tests.

He made this decision during a meeting with teachers' association representatives Wali Muhammad Chalgari, Sikandar Ali Jatoi, Ghulam Rasool Mahar, Syed Mumtaz Shah and Zafarullah. The meeting was also attended by Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, Principal Secretary to the CM Sohail Rajput, the finance secretary and Special School Education Secretary Nasir Abbasi Soomro, among others.



The teachers' body said that the teachers who have qualified the Sindh University and Iqra University tests must be regularised along with the National Testing Service (NTS) -qualified contract teachers. The CM directed education department to issue orders to regularise the Sindh and Iqra University-qualified teachers. "As far as the NTS contract teachers' regularisation is concerned, it has been approved by the cabinet," said Murad, adding that the meetings’ minutes had also been issued. "We are regularising the NTS contract teachers without any conditions," he assured.

The protesters gathered outside the Karachi Press Club. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

The teachers also spoke to the CM about 12,000 teachers who were appointed in 1992 in grade B-17 but have been denied time scales. The CM directed the education and finance secretaries to resolve the issued within 28 hours.

The CM also directed the education secretary to release the salaries of NTS teachers working in Karachi, which had earlier been stopped. Murad told the delegation that he was ready to resolve the teachers’ issues as long as they supported him in improving the education standard.

The protest

The protesters pelted stones at the police and in turn were charged with batons. The law enforcers also fired teargas shells at the teachers.

The roads leading toward the press club and Bilawal House in Clifton were blocked during the hour-long episode, causing a massive traffic jam on surrounding roads such as Daudpota Road, MA Jinnah Road, Dr Ziauddin Road, II Chundrigar Road, Club Road, near Fawara Chowk, Zaibunnisa Road and Abdullah Haroon Road.

The police, however, was able to stop the protesters from heading towards the Bilawal House and arrested at least 60 teachers. Some of the protesters reached MT Khan Road via Burnes Road, from where they headed toward Bilawal House, however, they too were taken into custody by the police. The detained teachers were later shifted to different police stations in District South.

According to the District South police chief, the police only used teargas. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

"Interestingly, CM sahib has already fulfilled their demands and assured them that a notification would be issued as per procedure, but the protesting teachers insisted that the notification be issued immediately,” said District South police chief SSP Javed Akbar Riaz. "The police tried to convince them [to leave] but they did not listen and started marching towards Bilawal House."

SSP Riaz said that the police finally started using teargas shells to disperse the protesters and began taking them into custody. "We did not use batons to disperse them," SSP claimed. "We just use teargas shells and detained them,” he said.



The SSP said this time the police are looking to register cases against the protesters. "It has become a routine matter in the Red Zone," he said, referring to frequent protests in the area. "We did not register cases in the past but we are now considering registering cases if such protests happen in the future. It would be a good practice to stop such protests."

Around 60 teachers were arrested. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

The protesters condemned the action against their group. "Is the law of the jungle [operating here]?" questioned Haji Shafi Sathio, president of the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association. "Our demands are the same. We are demanding our rights and the Sindh government should fulfill our demands." He said that the teachers were just shouting slogans and peacefully marching towards Bilawal House but the police started charging us at them with batons and using teargas.

The teachers have held several protests in the recent past, some of which have gained the notice of civil society and the government. Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had taken notice of the brutality against teachers and asked the CM to meet their demands.

The protesters wanted to march to Bilawal House. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

Official response

Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal took notice of the force used against the teachers and appointed a DIG level officer to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The CM also took notice of the incident and told the home minister to have the arrested teachers released. He also summoned a detailed report on the police action. Teachers are the most respected people in society and their humiliation will not be allowed at any cost, he said.

He directed Siyal to take action against the policemen who initiated action against the teachers.