KARACHI, April 21: Teachers of the government city colleges on Friday expressed dissatisfaction over the law and order situation in colleges and demanded action against external elements, who were allegedly involved in killing and arson incidents within and outside educational premises.

They have also decided to observe a strike on April 24 in Karachi colleges to press their demands.

Following the killing of one of their colleagues on Thursday, the students at Government College of Commerce and Economics did not turn up to continue academic activities on Friday. It is likely that the situation would return to normality after the Soyem of the deceased Syed Akmal Sherazi, who was shot dead in the college premises by outsiders.

Talking to Dawn on Friday the principal of the college, Prof Jalaluddin Chowhan, said that woman students were told on Thursday, after the murder of a student, Akmal, not to come to the college to attend the classes, while teaching in the case of male students could not be conducted as they stayed away.

Officially there is no closure of college on Saturday and it is expected that both women and male students would report to their classes and preliminary exams, if any, as usual, he added.

Teaching at the Government Adamjee Science College and Government Islamia Arts and Commerce College also could not resume on Friday. Keeping in view the lawlessness in educational institutions and some problems near the college after killing of Akmal, teachers of Adamjee College had announced not to take classes on Friday and Saturday.

Islamia Arts and Commerce College, according to sources, has been failing to attain an academic atmosphere after a clash between two groups of students, which took place on April 17. The hooligans also set on fire different vehicles belonging to teachers and other non-academic staff the same day.

Later on April 18, an activist of a students’ organisation sustained a gunshot wound in a clash with opponent group’s activists near Islamia Arts College, which further aggravated the situation and the college administration had to announce a two-day closure of the college, hoping that the situation would ultimately defuse.

In the meantime, the Sindh Professors and Lecturers’ Association (SPLA), which on April 18 had expressed concern over the incidence of violence, ransacking and clash at Islamia Arts College, and had given 48-hour ultimatum to the government for the arrest of the quarters involved in unruly activities, reviewed the situation afresh on Friday.

A meeting of teachers from different colleges was held with Prof Riaz Ahsan in the chair at Islamia Arts and Commerce College on Friday. The participants condemned the recent incident of murder of a student at Commerce College as well.

The meeting observed that external elements were involved in the ransacking of Islamia College, burning of cars and motorcycles belonging to principals, three teachers and two non-teaching staffs.

In order to get the colleges free of outsiders and politically motivated elements, teachers would make practical efforts, the meeting decided and announced to observe complete strike in colleges on April 24 by suspending all teaching and non-teaching affairs and holding protest meetings.

It was further resolved that the SPLA would hold its provincial executive body meeting at Hyderabad on April 25, wherein a strategy would also be finalized to get rid of outsiders in the colleges.

The meeting demanded of the Sindh governor, chief minister, and Corps Commander Karachi to take notice of the violence activities carried out at the Govt. Commerce College and Islamia Arts and Commerce College and order for the arrest of culprits and external elements involved in the unwanted developments and severe punishment to them.

The teachers also demanded for payment of compensation amount on emergent basis to teachers and non-teaching staff, whose vehicles were set ablaze at the Islamia Arts and Commerce College on April 18.

The SPLA also criticised the teachers who were affiliated with political parties as well. This has been brought in the knowledge of the SPLA that some of then college teachers, despite being government employees, were also serving the causes of political parties and allegedly were playing instrumental in carrying out politically motivated activities at different colleges, said SPLA leaders, demanding for a check against it.