LARKANA: Reiterating their demand for initiating a probe into the alleged financial corruption and administrative mismanagement of the principal of Government Degree College Larkana and his removal, professors and lecturers demonstrated outside the local press club and at Jinnahbagh roundabout here on Thursday.

Under the flag of the Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association (SPLA) Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot chapters, carrying banners and placards, and wearing black armbands, SPLA leaders marched on main roads. Also chanting slogans against Principal Ghulam Serwar Qureshi, they assembled at the Jinnahbagh roundabout.

Prof Liaquat Abro, Prof Lal Kalhoro and Larkana chapter SPLA president Prof Bashir Ahmed Chandio in their speeches targeted the alleged mismanagement of the principal which, according to them, has spoiled the congenial education atmosphere in the college.

For two months, “we have been protesting while a probe conducted against him on the directive of Sindh Education Minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro has been finalised”, they said. But still he continued to hold the charge, which further escalated the tension on the campus, they said.

They threatened that the protest would continue till removal of the principal and initiation of the probe against his financial mismanagement.

Earlier, the SPLA members of Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot held a general body in the Government Degree College.

Addressing the gathering, Prof Syed Asghar Shah, regional SPLA vice president Prof Mubeen Langah and others demanded in categorical terms his replacement as the faculty was feeling discomfort to work with him.

They wondered that the suspended principal’s powers were restored and it was just a licence to him to indulge in illegal financial spending.

They said the SPLA had always been devoted for peaceful academic atmosphere in colleges, but under the ‘tensed’ situation on the campus, they were unhappy to work with that principal.

Meanwhile, a group of students with representation of different sister organisations of political parties, took out a procession and demonstrated outside the press club on Thursday in favour of the principal.

Zubair Lahori, Tarique Jatoi and Zahid Jarwar led the protest while chanting slogans against the faculty members who have set up a protest camp inside the college premises. They criticised the SPLA for what they termed its anti-education attitude.

They demanded an action against the protesting professors and called for removing the camp from the campus.

Clerks take out rally

Criticising the Sindh government for its indifferent attitude and adopting delaying tactics to neglect the genuine demands of clerks, members of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) took out a procession on Thursday.

Sindh APCA senior vice president Farooque Jalbani, Aijaz Mirani and Safdar Mughul led the procession that emerged from the Taluka Education Office (female). Raising slogans, they gathered at the Jinnahbagh roundabout.

Addressing the protesters, the APCA leaders alleged that the Sindh government was avoiding implementation on the agreed document wherein the government had accepted their charter of demands.

They called for promotions of the lower staff in line with the decisions taken by other provinces and demanded son quota in jobs, time scale, group insurance and other facilities.

They said junior clerks were upgraded to scale 11, senior clerks from scale 9 to 14 and assistants from scale 14 to 16 in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhaw. But the Sindh government even after accepting the demands about two years ago was reluctant to issue a notification regarding it.

It was quite discouraging that the Sindh government was depriving them of their legal right deliberately, they said.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2016