Police unleash water cannons, tear gas on teachers

46 freed after detention during CM House march; protest over promotions continues

KARACHI:

All primary school teachers detained while attempting to march towards the Red Zone were released and subsequently joined their fellow protesters at the sit-in camp outside the Karachi Press Club (KPC), where they vowed to continue their agitation until their demands were met. The All Sindh Primary Teachers Association (ASPTA) leadership reiterated its resolve to sustain the protest, while lawyers assured the demonstrators of their full support.

The protest by teachers from across Sindh had turned violent on Wednesday as police used water cannons, tear gas and batons to stop demonstrators from marching towards the Chief Minister's House, leaving several teachers injured and prompting the detention of 46 protesters.

The teachers, who had gathered outside the Karachi Press Club, were demanding the acceptance of 14 long-standing demands, including restoration of their service structure, career progression, upgradation of grades and recognition of contractual service from the date of their initial appointment.

The protest was under the auspices of the All Sindh Primary Teachers Association (ASPTA) after months of campaigning. However, its planned march towards the Chief Minister's House was blocked by a heavy police contingent. As demonstrators attempted to move forward, police resorted to baton charges, tear gas shelling and water cannons, triggering chaos at the protest site.

Several teachers sustained injuries, while at least one had to be shifted to hospital. Protesters also alleged that the association's central president, Ijaz Ali Chandio, was also taken into custody.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Shabina Khan, a teacher associated with the Primary Teachers Association Hyderabad, said teachers had been campaigning for their demands since August and that the protest was neither sudden nor without prior notice to the government.

She said the foremost demand was restoration of a proper service structure for primary school teachers, who had remained stuck in their existing grades for years with limited opportunities for promotion.

According to Khan, primary teachers were serving in grades 9, 14 and 16, while high school teachers had regular promotion opportunities and their Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) were convened periodically. The government had also discontinued the allocation of High School Teacher (HST) vacancies for primary teachers, further restricting their career progression.

She recalled that Sindh Education Minister Sardar Shah had expressed the desire on October 5 to see primary teachers promoted up to Grade 20. However, she said, a formal service structure was necessary to translate that commitment into actual career opportunities.

Another major demand, Khan said, was to count service from the date of initial appointment rather than exclude the first three years spent on contract. The existing policy, she added, adversely affected teachers' seniority, promotions and grade upgradation.

She pointed out that some senior primary teachers in Sindh had completed 18 years of service but were still working in Grade 9, while teachers recruited between 2022 and 2025 had been appointed in Grade 14.

The teachers were also seeking the restoration of biometric attendance and transfer mechanisms at the district level.