KARACHI: Police on Thursday resorted to tear gas shelling, baton charge and use of a water cannon to prevent protesting government schoolteachers from moving towards Chief Minister’s House to press for the acceptance of their demands, including setting of a time scale for promotions, witnesses and officials said.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who concluded a ‘train march’ in Larkana, condemned the police action and ordered release of the protesters allegedly detained by police.

The police claimed that they took this action after the protesters’ talks with officials failed and they insisted on holding a rally in the red zone.

As per their scheduled protest, around 2,000 teachers gathered outside the Karachi Press Club, where office-bearers of the Government School Teachers Association (GSTA) made speeches and aired their demands.

Bilawal condemns police action, orders release of detained protesters

GSTA president Ashraf Khaskheli and others who spoke demanded that the teachers be given a time scale, which implied that teachers with 24-year service be promoted to Grade 20. They also demanded that the management cadre be changed so that DMG (district management group) officers were not appointed in the education department.

A portion of Sarwar Shaheed Road leading to the KPC was already closed for traffic while contingents of police were already deployed on Deen Mohammad Wafai Road and other adjoining thoroughfares.

As the teachers, including females, tried to move towards CM House, the police used tear gas, water cannon and baton charge near the Arts Council roundabout to force them to disperse.

South SSP Pir Mohammed Shah told Dawn that the teachers had announced holding of a demonstration outside the CM House on Wednesday.

“We engaged them in talks to persuade them to restrict their protest outside the KPC as rallies in the red zone have been banned,” said the officer.

He said representatives of the teachers held talks with the Karachi commissioner and the education secretary at which the SSP was also present.

The commissioner informed the teachers that the government was taking steps to address their legitimate demands and a summary to that effect had been prepared, according to the commissioner’s spokesperson.

The commissioner also urged the teachers to take back the decision of protest in view of the forthcoming examinations.

The senior police officer said that apparently, the GSTA leaders left the meeting “satisfied”. However, when they arrived later at the KPC, they announced that they would march towards the CM House.

“We used force which was required under the circumstances to prevent around 2,000 teachers from holding a protest demonstration in the red zone and move towards CM House,” said the officer.

He claimed that the police only used tear gas to disperse them. He said no one was injured in the incident. He also said that no one was arrested during the action.

However, Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, said that two male teachers were brought there for treatment. They were discharged after they were given first aid.

Protest termed ‘conspiracy’

Meanwhile, education secretary Qazi Shahid Pervez was quoted by the media as saying that holding a protest at the time of matriculation examination was a “conspiracy”. He claimed that the teachers were continuously increasing their demands.

The GSTA office-bearers later on announced a boycott of educational activities till their demands were met.

According to GSTA president Ashraf Khaskheli, as many as 200 teachers were detained by police while 150, including eight female teachers, injured during the police action.

However, Pir Mohammed Shah denied these charges.

“Only two teachers were reportedly injured and only eight detained,” said the officer. Later on, he said, the held teachers were released.

Bilawal’s stance

Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari condemned the use of tear gas against protesting teachers by the police. He said any such action against a peaceful assembly of people was intolerable.

“Holding a peaceful protest is a democratic right of every citizen and our party has always struggled for rights of the people,” the statement quoted the PPP chairman as saying. “The teachers’ protest should have been handled peacefully and in a dignified manner instead of resorting to violence. The detained teachers should be set free.”

Minister’s offer

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah said on Thursday that the provincial government was ready to talk to the protesting teachers to help resolve their “genuine grievances”.

In a statement issued here, he said the education secretary held a meeting with the teachers on Wednesday night at 1.30am in an effort to reach an agreement.

Minister Shah said a summary had already been floated on the teachers’ demands about time scale, adding that the issue of group insurance was not confined to teachers alone.

“Unfortunately, some teachers are blackmailing [the government] on the eve of examinations, which is not fair,” said the minister referring to the secondary school certificate examinations, which have already been deferred for a week because of the teachers’ protest.

He said the protesting teachers must fulfil their responsibilities to the nation, adding: “I have got my daughter admitted to a government school, but these teachers are not ready for this as their children are admitted to private schools”.

Minister Shah said the government schoolteachers were getting higher salaries than other government employees.

He added that he would try to resolve teachers’ issues, but “teachers must too behave like a civilised segment of society”.—Hasan Mansoor contributed to this report.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2019