Teachers' protest: The polite rebels versus the law enforcers

The protesters looked anything but protesters, as they screamed for autonomy.

KARACHI: For a teacher who has been in the profession for more than 40 years, teaching comes naturally. They do not limit their sermons to their classrooms, as the police officers deployed outside Chief Minister House found to their misfortune.

Over 100 teachers from public universities across Sindh converged upon Chief Minister House on Thursday to protest what they termed were attempts by the Sindh government to encroach upon the universities’ autonomy. What followed was mass confusion combined with utter hysteria. The teachers, a large number of them well into their advanced years, certainly looked out of place as they faced the police trying to hold them back.



Sweating profusely and looking extremely flustered, the guardians of education shouted slogans against the government, demanding it to repeal the Sindh Universities Laws (Amendment) Act, 2013.

As time progressed, some got bored of the slogans and seated themselves on the sidewalk, content to watch their colleagues scream their demands. The latter group kept shouting slogans, the leader with the loudspeaker beckoning his colleagues through catchy phrases, while his followers responding to his calls with an equally enthusiastic chorus. A third group negotiated with the police.

Sometime later, after a delegation of the teachers was invited to CM House to discuss their demands, the police formed a single file in front of the remaining teachers. With batons on the ready, the personnel’s faces gleamed with concentration as they eyed their potential targets. This caused a wave of nervous energy among the teachers’ ranks, some of whom preferred to joke about it to hide their apprehension. “Why are you threatening us with sticks when we have not even hurled a pebble at you?” asked one of the protesters.

“Put your sticks down and tell your CM to send some juice for us,” scolded Prof Dr Nasreen Aslam Shah, the director of women studies at Karachi University. “It is very hot and I am parched,” she told one of the personnel. “I am a grade 22 officer and this is the first time I have come out of the comfort of my university grounds in almost 10 months! Is this the welcome you will give your teacher?” she reprimanded the cop. The latter, seemingly moved by Dr Shah’s lecture, assured her that they will not be beaten up. Pleased with themselves, the protesters were almost relieved until a water cannon arrived at the scene.

This made the teachers nervous again. This time, however, the police officer cracked a joke. “This is sewage water; trust me you will stink for the next two days,” he winked at the protesters. This piece of information made the teachers smile, with one of them replying: “Make sure there’s ice in it. It’s quite hot.” The nervousness lasted for some time as the water cannon vehicle stalled at the road for some time. Upon inquiry, the officials found that the driver had gone to relieve himself, leaving the vehicle in the middle of the road.

The junior police officials, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their little break from the routine. They laughed and cracked jokes with the media personnel they recognised and even made attempts to interact with the protesters.

Although some of the senior officials were quite irritated for being deployed at the protest site; they agreed that there would be no violence against the teachers. They were well-prepared though; with tear gas artillery, batons and plenty of lethal weapons on show. “These teachers have the status of our parents. We respect them and will try to resolve the situation amicably,” Saddar SP Salman told The Express Tribune. His colleagues nodded their approval.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2014.