SIALKOT, Sept 16: An inquiry team of the immigration & passport department in Islamabad, led by assistant directors Nawaz Khan and Munir Ahmad Awan, has seized all the record of Sialkot passport office. The team is investigating charges of irregularities and malpractice against Assistant Director (Passports) Nasir Abbas.

According to official sources, the inquiry team has also recorded statements of the passport office staff, acting on the orders of the immigration director-general.

Mr Abbas has been transferred to Islamabad with immediate effect while Shakil Ahmed has been appointed as the acting AD passports in Sialkot.

Meanwhile, the issuance of passports continued at the office, but the “agents” — normally seen in and around the passport office — were missing. protest drive: The Muttahida Mahaz Asatza Pakistan will launch a country-wide protest campaign against the government from September 30 for not accepting their demands.

This was stated by Punjab Teachers’ Union information secretary Abdul Rashid Nagra and Muttahida Mahaz office-bearers at a press conference here on Monday.

Mr Nagra said the teachers would stage sit-in in all the district headquarters throughout Pakistan on Sept 30.

According to the agitation plan, they would hold protest meetings in Rawalpindi on Oct 6, Sargodha on Oct 7, Faisalabad on Oct 8, Gujranwala on Oct 9, Lahore on Oct 10, Bahawalpur on Oct 18, Multan on Oct 20 and Dera Ghazi Khan on Oct 21.

In Sindh, they would stage protest in Sukkur on Oct 6, Larkana on Oct 7, Hyderabad on Oct 8 and Mirpur Khas/Karachi on Oct 9. In Balochistan, protest would be held in Bella on Oct 11, Turbat on Oct 13, Punjgaur on Oct 15, Quetta on Oct 17, Loralai on Oct 18, Sibi on Oct 20 and Nasirabad on Oct 21.

He said teacher would stage demonstration in Sawabi, the NWFP, on Dec 7, Dir/Paeen on Dec 8, Peshawar on Dec 9, Bannu on Dec 10, and Miranshah (FATA) on Dec 11, in Mirpur (Azad Kashmir) on Oct 13, Rawala Kot on Oct 14 and Muzaffarabad on Oct 15.

Mr Nagra said the leaders of the Punjab Teachers Union and the Muttahida Mahaz Asatza Pakistan will address the meetings.

He said in the second phase of protest movement, starting in Dec 11, the teachers would take out processions, boycott classes besides observing hunger strike.

He said the teachers demanded an equal pay structure for the federal and provincial teachers. The federal government has already awarded BS 9 to its primary teachers and BS 14 to the middle school teachers, but in the Punjab and other provinces, the primary school teachers have been given BS 7 and middle school teachers BS 9.