Paper leak case: Three-member body formed to probe matter afresh

Body asked to record statements of teachers, SP.

RAWALPINDI:

An inquiry committee has been formed to probe paper leak case afresh and record teachers’ and police officer’s statements.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall formed the three-member committee following a meeting with the representatives of teachers at his office on Monday.

A seven-member committee of the teachers met the DCO after a strong protest at Kacheri Chowk.

The committee will be headed by Senior Administrative Officer (SAO) Aqeel Khan with Cantonment Assistant Commissioner Nazia Sudhan and City Assistant Commissioner Quratul Ain as its members.

Dall ordered the committee to probe the matter and submit report within two weeks.

He also asked the committee head to summon the eight teachers, who were allegedly booked for leaking out papers, and record their statements besides review the findings of the previous committee.

The teachers include Gulzar Hussain Raja, Muhammad Asghar, Muhammad Ramazan, Raja Zulfiqar, Javed Akhtar and others whose names could not be ascertained. The anti-corruption department is conducting inquiry against them. They were arrested when cases were registered against them but were released on bail from a local court. The DCO also asked the head of the committee to summon Superintendent of Police (SP) Rana Shahid to record his statement.

Earlier hundreds of teachers staged a protest and sit-in at Kacheri Chowk here on Monday seeking withdrawal of cases against their senior fellows. They also sought action against Punjab Education Commission (PEC) for issuing bogus results of 5th and 8th class examinations.

The teachers, including women from across the district, held the protest, braving the scorching heat that created a massive traffic jam on all link roads, causing immense trouble to the commuters. Even ambulances carrying patients were also stuck in the traffic jam.

The protesters, led by Teachers Alliance Action Committee (TAAC) leaders, were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans like “quash all fake cases against senior teachers” and “Abolish PEC immediately”.

A heavy contingent of police led by Civil Lines Assistant Superintendent of Police Haroon Rashid and Station House Officer Asghar Goraya along with Senior Administrative Officer Aqeel Khan was deployed at the kacheri.

The TAAC chairman Dr Chaudhry Sagheer Alam accused PEC of destroying the education system by conducting flawed exams.  He also accused PEC officials of embezzlement and kick backs in granting education funds and victimising teachers.

He demanded dissolution of provincial monitoring system.

Aqeel and Haroon requested the teachers’ representatives to hold talks with District Coordination Officer (DCO) Sajid Zafar Dall and open the road.

However, the teachers refused to open the road till the acceptance of their demands.

Later, a seven-member team led by Alam held talks with DCO. During the talks, teachers informed the official that the examination system has failed completely. They added that no paper was leaked and the provincial education department made the Rawalpindi-based teachers as scapegoat to hide their faults.

They also told the DCO that the Anti-Corruption Department has no legal authority to deal with the case as no corruption has been done by the teachers.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2014.