Teachers released after arrest during protest

SPLA members protested against the government’s failure to raise their wages and demanded time-scale promotions.

KARACHI:

Members of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) were released hours after they were arrested for protesting in front of Chief Minister House on Wednesday.

The police had stopped the SPLA protest rally from reaching CM House and arrested the protesters. The rally started from DG Science College and SPLA protesters planned to end it at CM House when police stopped them. Male teachers were arrested while the female teachers were caught up in scuffles with the female police officers.

Sixteen college teachers including Prof Mohammad Ayub Marri, Prof Yaqoob Chandio who is also the president of SPLA’s Hyderabad chapter, Professor Tahir Mansoor Quraishi, Prof Anwar Mansoor, Prof Barkat Kanhar, Prof Niaz Shar, Prof Abdul Karim Khero, Prof Mohammad Khan Khereo, Prof Amjad Jhokio, Prof Shafiq, Prof Dodo Malukani, Prof Shamsuddin Abro, Prof Raj Kumar, Prof Ghulam Mustafa Babar and Prof Liaquat Qaimkhani were arrested.

The rest of the SPLA members continued their protest and staged a sit-in in front of DG Science College. The association was protesting against the government’s failure to raise their wages and demanded time-scale promotions.

Meanwhile, Adviser to Chief Minister on Information Sharmila Farooqui said that a meeting will take place at CM house today (Thursday) where Sindh chief secretary and SPLA representatives will negotiate their terms.

SPLA president Prof Mirza Athar Hussain said they have a two-point agenda, including time-scale promotion and increments and shortage of teachers, for the meeting. “We will continue our protest until our demands are accepted.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2010.