LAHORE; Aug 11: The Punjab University Academic Staff Association has decided to observe protest day on Aug 17 and hunger strike on Aug 22 against the federal government and Higher Education Commission’s anti-education and anti-teachers policies.

In a statement issued here on Friday, PUASA secretary Dr Asmatullah said the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) held a two-day meeting in Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, and reviewed its meeting with HEC, which was held on April 1, this year.

He said the FAPUASA found that the HEC had backed out from its commitments made in the April 1 meeting and took the decisions which were ‘anti-education’ and `anti-teachers’.

Dr Asmatullah said the teachers’ community would observe protest day on Aug 17 by wearing black armbands and hoist protest banners and then the PUASA executive body would observe hunger strike on Aug 22. In case of non-acceptance of demands, he said, the FAPUASA would hold its general body meeting in Quetta on Aug 29 and decide a future protest strategy.