HYDERABAD, July 27: Announcing a plan for protest against the ban on teachers’ associations, leaders of the defunct Sindh Employees Alliance on Thursday demanded resignation from Sindh Education Minister Hamida Khuhro and Secretary Ghulam Ali Pasha.

They said that the notification issued by the secretary banning associations was a flagrant violation of Constitution’s article 16, 17 and 25.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club, SEA leaders Rafique Jarwar, Prof Liaquat Aziz, Prof Agha Khalid Pathan, Abdul Ghani Kumbhar and Hussain Bux Khamisani said that the central action committee of the alliance had chalked out the protest programme against undemocratic and unconstitutional decisions of the government.

They reiterated that the teachers would continue their boycott of preparation of voters’ lists and election duties.

They said that all educational institutions and offices would be locked out on July 28 (today), protest sit-ins would be held on Super and National highways and an all-party conference would be held at the Hyderabad press club on August 5.

They said that a meeting of teachers’ associations of all provinces including Azad Kashmir and FATA would be held in Karachi in the second week of August to launch a country-wide protest. They said that a delegation of teachers would call on Pir Saeen Pagaro, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, Hafeez Pirzado, Illahi Bux Soomro and Prof Ghafoor Ahmed to seek their support.

They also presented a nine-point charter of demands.

The alliance leaders also distributed copies of charge-sheet against Education Minister Dr Hameeda Khuhro and his PA Mansoor Qadir Junejo.

The charge-sheet said that Mansoor Qadir Junejo was appointed in the Decentralised Elementary Education Project (DEEP) in grade-16 without any interview and advertisement during the banned period.

It said that an amount of Rs40 million was collected in the shape of form fees when posts of 7,500 PST, JST and HST were advertised out of which Rs3.6 million were spent on the purchase of a car for the education minister and vehicles of other staff members.