SUKKUR: Hundreds of primary teachers held a demonstration and a sit-in outside the residence of Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Mir Aijaz Jakhrani and the deputy commissioner’s office in Jacobabad on Friday in protest against officials of the treasury department for denying them benefits under time scale.

The teachers, mostly women, started the march from the mukhtiarkar office which ended in front of the residence of Mr Jakhrani.

Later, they moved to the DC office where also they held a sit-in. They were later joined by many male teachers as well.

The leaders of the Primary Teachers Association and Government School Teachers Association, Alam Khoso, Abdul Nabi Soomro, Ms Jamila Soomro, Ms Shaheen Brohi and Ms Shamshad Qureshi, said that they would stage strong protests if they were not allowed benefits under the time scale.

Many frustrated female teachers removed bangles from their arms and threw them inside the treasury office in line with an old custom aimed at putting a man to shame.

Mr Jakhrani talked to the protesters over the phone from Karachi and agreed with them that their demand was justified. He also talked to the Accountant General of Sindh and called the officials of treasury office to Karachi on Feb 2 besides directing the deputy commissioner to resolve the teachers’ issues.

Later, DC Raja Shah Zaman Khuhro accompanied by district accounts officer met the protesters and tried to persuade them to end the protest.

The two officials assured the protesters that a team of teachers would be sent to Karachi along with lists of all their colleagues and a letter would be sent to A.G. Sindh asking him to take disciplinary action against officials of treasury department Jacobabad.

The teachers called off the protest over such assurances.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2015

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