ISLAMABAD: Faculty members of public-sector universities who had staged a three-day sit-in outside the office of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) last week have decided to approach the Supreme Court (SC) against the commission as well as their respective vice chancellors against their ‘unconstitutional’ directives to scuttle the protest.

Last week, scores of university teachers who are serving under the Basic Pay Scale (BPS) system staged a protest outside the HEC for “non-issuance of their service structure and promotion policy”. Their protest started on Tuesday, but a day before the protest, their respective vice chancellors barred them from participating in the sit-in after a meeting with the HEC officials.

These VCs directed the faculty member to ensure their presence on their respective campuses on Tuesday. In light of these directives, the teachers have decided to move the apex court.

“All Public Universities BPS Teachers Association (APUBTA) decides to approach the Supreme Court of Pakistan on flagrant violation of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, abuse of fundamental human rights and misuse of the office and powers by Chairman HEC and VCs of a few public sector universities,” read a press release issued by APUBTA.

APUBTA core committee concerned over ‘emergency syndicate’ meeting of Kotli university

It said that the said decision was taken by the core committee of ABPUBTA in a meeting chaired by its president Dr Samiur Rehman. The meeting expressed grave concerns on the role and conduct of the HEC chairman and accused him of “depriving over 50,000 BPS teachers of their right to promotion but also trying through all illegal and unconstitutional means to deprive them of their fundamental rights…,” read the press release.

The core committee noted that freedom of movement, freedom to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression are the fundamental rights guaranteed by articles 15, 16,17 and 19.

According to the press release, the VCs of a few universities on “dictates of the HEC chairman issued unconstitutional and unlawful orders /notifications in their bid to stop university teachers” from joining the sit-in on Oct 31. Later, a few VCs initiated different proceedings to victimise the teachers who had participated in the protest, the press release said.

“Such repressive measures have been condemned by all teachers associations, including APUBTA and FAPUASA, and will not be tolerated at all. APUBTA will not compromise on the fundamental human rights of the universities’ teachers and those trying to abuse these rights will be brought before the court. The core committee decided to challenge in the superior judiciary the illegal notifications issued by a few vice-chancellors on the dictates of the HEC chairman,” it said.

The core committee expressed its determination to exercise the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan and decided that any action taken by any VC will be countered using all legal means.

The core committee also decided to make a complaint cell as well as a legal committee to deal with all such cases. It will also approach human rights organisations to counter any illegal action by anyone.

Scores of teachers after staging a protest outside the HEC for three days called it off for 15 days when their issue was taken up by the Senate and was referred to the Standing Committee on Education.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2023