April 30, 2006	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 1, 1427

KARACHI, April 29: More than 7,000 teachers of 238 colleges all over Sindh observed a complete strike on Saturday against hooliganism in Karachi’s colleges

They also protested damaging of cars and motorcycles of principals and staff by the miscreants, harming the assets of educational institutions, murder of students, and the criminal mum of the Sindh Education Department over the sad situation.

The strike was observed on the call of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers' Association.

The teachers held protest meetings in various colleges and, through resolutions, demanded of the higher officials to arrest hooligans involved in violence and anti-social activities in educational institutions.

They also demanded compensation to teachers and other staff for their vehicles.

They further demanded that the Sindh education minister and secretary should be removed for their 'mysterious silence' over the sensitive issue.

Later, a meeting of the SPLA was held, which was participated by Prof Syed Riaz Ahsan, Prof Manzoor Hussain Chishti, Prof Athar Hussain, Prof Muhsan Raza Bhatti, Prof Iftikhar Muhammad Azami and others. They submitted a report to the meeting regarding their visit to various colleges.

They told the meeting that the increasing incidents of hooliganism in colleges and the complete ignorance by the Sindh education minister and secretary had created a sense of unrest and concern amongst the teaching community.

The teachers vowed to resist political interference, as well as, hooliganism of 'external elements' in the educational institutions.

They said that their protest movement would continue till the elements involved in these incidents were arrested.

The meeting also expressed its concern over the decisions taken during the meeting between SPLA and the chief secretary on March 29, 2006, which were still in limbo.

The said that despite approval of a summary in this regard by the chief minister and chief secretary, the Sindh education department was dragging its feet about the extension in service of ad-hoc teachers.

They accused the education department for not releasing orders of promotions of librarians despite the DPC held on December 18, 2005.

They alleged that the matters of promotion of directors physical education (DPEs) were also being complicated unnecessarily by the education department.

The SPLA demanded of the Sindh governor and chief minister that steps should be taken to ensure peace and tranquillity in the educational institutions, and all anti-social elements involved in the acts of hooliganism in colleges should be arrested.

It also demanded that extension in service should be granted to ad-hoc teachers, promotion orders of librarians be released, and DPC be conducted for promoting the DPEs.

STUDENTS PROTEST: Heavy contingents of police and Rangers on Saturday used teargas and baton charge against students belonging to the Islami Jamiat Talaba near the Jail Chowrangi and arrested 20 of them when they were returning to Dawood College of Engineering and Technology after a protest march.

Traffic was suspended briefly at the Jail Chowrangi when a large number of IJT workers held a protest demonstration against the killing of their fellow worker, Syed Akmal, at the Govt Commerce College Karachi last week.

Teargas shells were fired at IJT workers followed by baton charge by over 50 police personnel and as many Rangers, which created a scene on the spot. Many students and some passers-by were also injured in the act.

Police arrested 20 IJT workers including Abdus Sabur, Faizan, Abdul Mansoor, Mashood, Zeeshan, Amjad, Zaheer, Atif, Mahroze, Raja Faisal, Shafiq-ur-Rahman, Qazi Yasser, Rafay Alam, Ghazanfar Ahmed, Sanaullah, Abdul Rahman, Abdul Moid, Zeeshan Ansari, Ali Anwar and Raheel Siddiqui. About 16 of them were kept at the Brigade police station and some were taken to Jamshed Town police station.—PPI

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