December 13, 2002	Friday	Shawwal 8, 1423

KARACHI, Dec 12: Various teachers, students and medical professionals bodies including the Karachi University Teachers Society (KUTS), the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA), the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and the Joint Action Committee of the Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM) on Thursday staged a peaceful demonstration in front of the Sindh Assembly building for acceptance of their demands.

The protesters demanded that elected representatives raise voice against denationalization of educational institutes and establishment of the boards of governors to run hospitals and universities. They urged cancellation of the Model University Ordinance (MUO) and reinstatement of doctors and teachers on their jobs.

Later, speaking to them, deputy parliamentary leader of the MMA in the Sindh Assembly, Nasarullah Shajee, assured the protesters that their demands would be presented in the Assembly and MMA would reject all such proposals and acts that were against teachers, students and doctors. He criticized termination and suspension of doctors and teachers in Punjab and demanded their reinstatement.

Speaking on the occasion, president KUTS Prof Sarwar Nasim said MPAs were elected by the votes cast by ordinary people and they would have to keep that in mind while taking decisions.

President SPLA Prof Riaz Ehsan urged elected representatives to reject the decisions taken by the previous government. President Joint Action Committee Osama Shafique, secretary KUTS Dr Riaz Ahmed, the SPLA’s Karachi president Prof Athar Hussan and Baseer Naveed also spoke on the occasion.

Earlier, the KUTS, the SPLA, the PMA and the MTM, at a meeting held at the Govt College for Women, Shahrah-i-Liaquat, vowed to continue their struggle. They said their struggle was aimed at drawing attention of their elected representatives to the “black laws” promulgated by the previous rulers to please the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO.—PPI