KARACHI, Sept 4: The All-Pakistan Professors and Lecturers Association on Monday demanded withdrawal of ban on teachers unions and associations, and action against the police personnel who subjected teachers to violence on Aug 22 in Karachi.

Speaking at a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club, APPLA leaders, Siraj Ahmed Kakar, Sabz Ali Khan Marwat, Syed Nazim Hasnain and others also demanded immediate halt to victimization of teachers, and an end to privatization of educational institutes.

They also demanded recruitment of teachers on a permanent basis instead of contractual and ad hoc basis.

They warned that if their demands were not met by the end of this month, APPLA and its provincial branches would launch a countrywide campaign against the government, compelling it to bow to their demands through agitation.

The APPLA leaders said during their campaign, APPLA would release a white paper regarding ban imposed on teachers associations, performance of education department and constructive activities of teachers organizations, adding this paper would be sent to government personalities, legislators, opposition leaders as well as national and international human rights organizations.

They informed that APPLA would hold press conferences at Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Quetta to apprise people of their case through media while all provincial organizations of APPLA would hold meetings and gatherings at provincial headquarters to pressurize the government.

“If all our demands are not met by Sept 30, APPLA will meet in Islamabad to chalk out its countrywide protest campaign” they warned.

Bitterly criticizing the Sindh government, they said its notification issued on July 21 banned all teachers unions and associations and launched a media-campaign against teachers by declaring them blackmailers, Munshis of local landlords and activists of political parties.

Teachers started to resist government's decision and protested against the ban within constitutional and democratic parameters but Sindh government tried to suppress teachers through use of brutal force as a rally of teachers was attacked by the police, in which scores were injured while many were taken into custody like ordinary criminals, they added.

At the same time, the Sindh government started victimizing teachers who opposed its autocratic decision, they said, adding over 1,000 teachers had been so far sent on forced leave by the education department, which was entirely illegal and against the basic human and democratic rights of people.

SPLA leaders Syed Riaz Ahsan, Liaquat Aziz Solangi and APPLA officials Raja Mohammad Aslam andManzoor Hussain Chishti were also present.—PPI