Police baton-charge varsity faculty members, employees

Police on Wednesday baton-charged the protesting faculty members and employees of University of Balochistan (UoB) in order to disperse them in Quetta.

Professors, lecturers, officers and other staffers of the university were protesting against the recently adopted Universities Bill 2022 and demanded an increase in their allowances. The Balochistan Assembly adopted the Balochistan Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 on Tuesday.

Under the bill, the search committees would be formed to recommend the appointments of vice-chancellors and pro vice-chancellors in the province. Previously governor had the authority to appoint VCs of all public sector universities in the province.

“Police used force against our peaceful protesters which is yet another example of their high-handedness,” one of the leaders of the University Academic Staff Association Professor Kaleemullah Bareech told The Express Tribune.

The protesters also chanted slogans against the Vice-Chancellor Dr Shafiqur Rehman and the Balochistan government.

“This government has bypassed university faculty members and employees in adopting laws,” Nazeer Ahmed Lehri, the President of university employees union lamented.

Lehri said that the government had repeatedly assured an increase in the allowances of employees but it failed to do so.

“Our struggle will continue till acceptance of our demands,” Professor Fareed Khan Achakzai said while talking to media men. He said the university administration and Balochistan government surpassed the military dictators in introducing new laws.

Baton-wielding policemen pushed back the protesters and asked them not to take law into their hands. Strict security measures had been adopted by the administration on the occasion of the protest.

The protesters demanded 44 per cent house requisition, and 25 per cent disparity allowance. There was no immediate response from the university administration about the protest of university employees.

It is worth noting here that faculty members and employees of UoB have been protesting for the last few months for their demands.

Several rounds of talks with members of the provincial assembly and university administration took place in the past. However, negotiations failed to yield results.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2022.