May 18, 2006	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1427

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MIRAMSHAH, May 17: Political authorities have terminated services of eight teachers and arrested two others on the charge of ‘fuelling unrest’ in the North Waziristan Agency, sources said.

They said that the administration had taken the action one month ago on the basis of secret agencies’ report that a number of teachers were involved in ‘illegal activities’ in the volatile agency.

An official told Dawn that more teachers were likely to be dismissed, adding that a teacher was suspended a few days back under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR).

Earlier the administration had stopped salaries of more than one thousand Class-IV employees under the FCR, a British-era draconian law.

Class-IV employees and teachers have started protest movement against the termination of teachers and stoppage of salaries and refused to take classes in public sector schools.

Following the strike the authorities have closed public sector schools for indefinite period across the agency.

On Monday, protesting teachers and other government employees took out joint procession in Miramshah bazaar and demanded restoration of teachers and payment of salaries.

Witnesses said that more than one thousand employees took part in the rally and announced to march towards Islamabad if the government failed to resolve their problems.

ONLINE ADDS: Teachers and school employees of a school in the North Waziristan Agency on Monday staged a protest against the behaviour of administration and urged the political agent of the agency to pay their salaries. They said that they would continue their protest until their demands were met. They closed the school for indefinitely and urged the authorities to release detained teachers within three days.

As a gesture of solidarity with the teachers in Waziristan, the Bannu Teachers Association announced to protest until their colleagues’ demands were met.