LARKANA, Aug 30: Academic activities at educational institutions across Larkana district resumed on Friday when the Government Secondary Teachers Association (GSTA) called off its prolonged boycott of classes at schools, high schools and some colleges.

The boycott was enforced by GSTA president G.M. Abro over his dispute with Addition Commissioner Asadullah Abro, who the former believed was instrumental in the registration of some cases against him. The latter denies his involvement.

Teachers, including some principals and headmasters, affiliated with GSTA started a protest on June 14 suspending classes but the issue remained unresolved educational institutions remained closed till Aug 14 on account of summer vacation. The boycott continued after the vacation and a lawyer moved the Sindh High Court, which ordered resumption of classes with punctuality and action against any teacher boycotting his or her duties.

The protest had severely affected educational activities at more than 150 higher secondary, secondary and middle schools in the district. Around 40,000 students are enrolled in these schools, according to sources.

GSTA Larkana general secretary Sikandar Kalhoro told Dawn on Friday that teachers responding positively to the mediatory role offered by Pakistan Peoples Party leaders Gul Mohammed Jakhrani, Sattar Morio, Nooruddin Abro and others agreed to call off the protest.

Mr Jakhrani, who is also MNA Faryal Talpur’s coordinator, along with other team members held negotiations with GSTA leaders at the Government Pilot Secondary School on Thursday night.

In the presence of some 200 GSTA office-bearers, the negotiators discussed grievances of the association and its president and persuaded them to call off the protest.

GSTA leaders said that the PPP leaders had assured them of their due role in settling the dispute between president of the association and the AC, the sources said.

The GSTA chief in his speech hoped that the negotiators’ role would remain positive and their efforts would lead to an amicably solution which was possible only if the cases registered against him were withdrawn.

According to sources, the bone of contention is actually dispute over the ownership of a hotel between Junejos and Brohis. The Larkana AC being a neighbour of Junejos got involved in the matter while the GSTA chief backs Brohis.

The teachers’ association stood behind its president and launched a prolonged protest while the revenue department’s lower staff supported the AC and observed a token pen-down strike.

The standoff complicated the situation where the end suffers were the students of the district. The civil society and students kept striving hard to get the boycott ended and a lawyer of the Sindh High Court, Qadir Bakhsh Bhatti, filed a constitutional petition in the court against the agitation.

The court recently passed orders to ensure resumption of normal academic activities in all schools and action against those teachers who tried to disturb the process.

GSTA leaders on Friday told students that they had prepared a schedule to complete the course left out due to the boycott. “We have also called off our pen-down strike,” said Hadi Bugti, a leader of the revenue employees.