KARACHI, Aug 22: The human rights organisation, political parties and students of different universities and colleges strongly condemned the police action against protesting teachers and demanded immediate withdrawal of ban on teachers’ unions.
The secretary-general of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Iqbal Haider, condemned police brutality on a peaceful demonstration of teachers protesting against the ban on unions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Iqbal Haider said that the Sindh government and all other provincial authorities must be held responsible for the atrocious police action against male and female teachers, who were peacefully protesting against the ban on teachers’ associations.
More than 45 teachers were arrested and a dozen were badly injured when police resorted to tear gas shelling and baton charged the participants of a peaceful demonstration.
Iqbal Haider warned the Sindh government that such a ban on teachers’ associations was not only a clear violation of Article 17 of the Constitution, but also against all international charters of human rights and local laws.
He said that the HRCP reiterated its demand to withdraw unconstitutional ban on teachers’ association and called upon the government to ensure that all the arrested teachers must immediately be released. Besides, it was demanded that the teachers, who were injured at the hands of the police and local administration, should also be provided medical aid and treatment.
The HRCP secretary general stated that the government should accept the demands of the teachers of Sindh particularly and restore their emoluments and benefits.
He further said that the Sindh government must ensure that textbooks be supplied to the hundreds and thousands of students, as was promised before the summer vacations.
He also demanded strict disciplinary action and registration of FIRs against all the officials who were responsible for the baton charge, tear gassing, injuring and arresting the teachers as well as against the education ministry officials who were responsible in denying textbooks to students.
Meanwhile, veteran politician Mairaj Mohammed Khan condemned police action against teachers and demanded withdrawal of Sindh education department’s notification denying them (teachers) right to form unions. The notification was against constitutional rights, he said.
The senior politician also met the teachers detained by police at Artillery Maidan Police Station.
MMA: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal strongly condemned police baton charge and arrest of teachers for raising voice against ban on teachers union.
MMA central leader Dr Mumtaz Ali Memon said that every citizen had constitutional right to protest against injustice. “Police force was used by the government to harass citizens instead of providing protection to life and property of citizens,” he deplored and assured that MMA would support the struggle of teachers against the ban on teachers’ union. He alleged that the steps being taken by the present rulers for depriving teachers of their basic rights had recorded new records of injustice.
He urged teachers’ community and Sindh education department for ending the tug of war. He also urged both to solve their problems amicably and work together for promotion of education and better future of children of the province.
The MMA leader asked the government to stop process of intimidating teachers and accept their genuine demands.
Meanwhile, a large number of Islami Jamiat Talaba workers held a protest demonstration in front of Karachi Press Club against police baton-charge and use of teargas on a teachers rally against the ban on their associations.
Students from universities, colleges and professional educational institutes staged a demonstration following the police action to disperse the teachers’ rally and chanted slogans against Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro, Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad, Sindh Home Rauf Siddiqui and other provincial authorities.
Addressing the protesting students, JI Karachi Amir Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui said that police torture proved that the provincial government was afraid of the protest movement of teachers and non-teaching employees of education department.
Sindh Employees Alliance leader Abdul Ghani Qamber, Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association office-bearer Prof Manzoor Hussain Chishti and IJT Karachi Nazim Abdur Rasheed also spoke. —PPI
KARACHI, Aug 22: The human rights organisation, political parties and students of different universities and colleges strongly condemned the police action against protesting teachers and demanded immediate withdrawal of ban on teachers’ unions.
