47 govt college professors detained in Karachi; ‘Red Zone’ suffers massive traffic jam – Pakistan

Forty-seven government professors and university professors were hired and detained by police after they organized a sit-in near the House of the Chief Minister in Karachi on Wednesday, which caused a major disruption in traffic flow, police officials said.

According to the SSP South Sheeraz Nazeer, 44 teachers and 3 teachers have been hired and transferred to several police stations.

Teachers protested against a delay in their time scale promotion. They claimed that the then Sindh Prime Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, had approved a summary for the fulfillment of their demands, but had not yet been implemented, forcing them to organize a sit-in.

As part of a protest throughout Sindh, around 200-250 teachers participated in the protest held at Dr. ZIauddin Ahmed Road. The protest call had been issued by the Sindh Teachers and Teachers Association (SPLA).

Police authorities held talks with protesters to evict the area, but allegedly refused to do so, according to a police officer. Protests have been banned in the & # 39; Red Zone & # 39; from the city where the protest had occurred.

"We took the action of arresting them so that the road was cleared for traffic," said the police officer.

Police arrested them after they offered prayers to Maghrib, the official said, adding that the police did not resort to cane charges, tear gas bombing or the use of water cannons.

The SPLA announced on Thursday a boycott of academic activities across the province against police action and the arrest of colleagues. Teachers will wear black bracelets in protest, according to a statement issued by the SPLA.

& # 39; Time scale promotions denied to university professors & # 39;

Previously, the SPLA "time scale coordination committee" had met outside the Karachi Press Club and held a meeting of its general body led by Professor Anwar Mansoor.

After the meeting, while the professors tried to move towards the House of the Chief Minister, the police contingents tried to prevent them from moving forward. However, the protesters managed to reach the & # 39; Red Zone & # 39; and organized a sit-in at the PIDC House.

Addressing the crowd of protesters, many professors noted that "in a democratic era, Sindh's professors and professors have been subjected to an undesirable attitude by the police and the provincial government."

The head of the SPLA office, in his address, recalled that hundreds of thousands of school teachers received temporary promotions in 2010, but that university professors and professors were deprived of their legitimate demand for the same.

They promised to continue their protest until the issuance of a notification to that effect.

SPLA denounces police action

Later, the SPLA said in a statement that police contingents stormed their protest over Magrib's prayer and arrested "several professors and lecturers" who offered prayers and "tortured them."

According to the press release, some of the teachers arrested by law enforcement officials include Anwar Mansoor, Abdul Jabbar, Malook, Benazir Junejo, Lala Rukh Baloch, Zakia, Rahila Memon and Maria Abro.

After the arrest of their colleagues, the remaining teachers returned to the KPC where they organized a sit-in and promised to continue their protest until their demands were fulfilled.

& # 39; Unpleasant unpleasant situation of teachers & # 39;

The Department of Education of Sindh College issued a statement, lamenting the "enormous inconveniences caused to the general public" and the creation of an "unpleasant unpleasant situation of teachers."

The department said the protest was carried out "without taking into account Section 144 established for Chup Tazia" and that "it blocked the main roads in the Southern District in violation of the general restrictions in force in the Red Zone."

According to the statement, the Sindh High Court has already been hearing the case of temporary promotion since 2017 and the Sindh government has been a party to the case. "The last hearing of the case was held on November 1, 2019 when the Superior Court set the next hearing for November 15 and requested the Department of University Education to present details of the promotions granted to university teachers since 2017," he said. the notice.

The department, in its statement, noted that the government "has been giving regular promotions to university professors" despite the "poor results of government university exams" due to the "less than par" performance of teaching staff.

The statement also recalled that the teachers had been reminded earlier that the matter was subjudgment and that they should wait for the outcome of the case.

The university education department expressed its "disappointment for the activities against education of such individuals and groups" while assuring "education-friendly teachers their full support to meet their genuine needs and demands in the interest of quality education in Sindh. "